UK football mailbag: How much goodwill did the Auburn win earn Mark Stoops?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Auburn win failed to sway vocal critics or change Stoops' job debate.
- Six assistant contracts and uncertain coordinators signal likely staff turnover.
- Revenue sharing, NIL and transfers will shape roster strategy for 2026.
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Mark Stoops might have found the SEC win he’d been searching more than a year for, but he apparently did not find a reprieve in the minds of his harshest critics.
- “I still saw a lot of the same problems we’ve seen for close to three seasons. One win doesn’t change what I saw.”
- “I’ll always take a Kentucky win, but Stoops only looks good against terrible teams. That’s the story. He can’t beat good teams.”
- “Nothing is changing my feelings about the program this year. Stoops has to go.”
- “It was a win but that was the most pathetic performance I’ve seen in a win.”
- “Auburn gets rid of Freeze and Kentucky gets stuck with Stoops. I’d argue Auburn got that win.”
Those are just a sampling of the responses when I asked followers on X and Bluesky if the 10-3 win against Auburn had changed their perception of Kentucky’s 2025 season and Stoops’ job status at all. Judging the mood of the fan base by a few dozen social media comments is always dangerous, but it’s at least clear the most vocal of Stoops’ detractors were unmoved by the win.
The victory does at least add some intrigue to what appeared to be a Kentucky season with little to play for down the stretch only 48 hours ago.
What’s next for Stoops and Kentucky? We address that topic and more in the weekly UK football mailbag.
Will Adams on X: It’s changed my opinion of the fanbase for sure. Lots of folks mad we won. You play to win the game.
Will hits on a topic that I’ve certainly observed in my recent interactions with fans on social media and in real life. Things have gotten ugly enough that at least some hardcore UK fans are actively rooting for the Wildcats to lose in order to accelerate a possible Stoops departure. If we look back to last week’s mailbag and the calls for Stoops to be fired immediately after the Tennessee loss, there certainly was an element of fans wanting a decision to be made before Stoops had the chance to win either of the Auburn or Florida games and possibly make a return more palatable.
I will not tell fans how to support their team. I think there are plenty of understandable reasons for fans to want change after the last four years and general stagnation of the program. The point of sports is supposed to be fun though, so maybe if you’re that unhappy with the program just take a break for a bit to see how things play out.
Jon Ras on X: I’m happy for the players but am genuinely concerned that Barnhart looked at that win and basically said, “We are good with Stoops.”
Mike Johnson on X: Still ready for a change. But if they win out (they won’t) then he deserves to keep his job. 6-6 would be purgatory.
I do not think beating Auburn alone will be enough to change the desire for Stoops to be back next season, on either side. Either Stoops and Barnhart already were leaning toward a reunion or they were both of the mindset that an amicable parting at the end of the year would be best for everyone involved. I don’t think one 10-3 win over a team that fired its coach the next day will be enough to move off either of those options.
The schedule does set up for Kentucky to possibly build some momentum, though. Florida challenged Georgia to the wire in its first game after Billy Napier was fired, but that feels like the kind of energy that will be harder for the Gators to maintain after the initial surge of a coaching change. If Kentucky can beat the Gators for the fourth time in five years this weekend then take care of business against FCS Tennessee Tech, it would be just one win shy of bowl eligibility with games at Vanderbilt and Louisville remaining.
Kentucky is almost certain to be a substantial underdog in both those games regardless of what happens the next two weeks, but a Wildcats team on a three-game winning streak would still be dangerous. If Kentucky gets to six wins, I see no scenario where Barnhart would fire Stoops outright — nor should he. You cannot rule out the possibility, though, that even in that scenario both parties would feel coming to a negotiated settlement agreement might be best. A 6-6 season would also likely make Stoops a candidate for other jobs, opening the possibility of the same type of reset John Calipari chose when he left UK for Arkansas.
Kevin Faris on Bluesky: What does a Stoops return look like? Let’s say it’s a 5-7 or better finish. Last offseason, the program went radio silence. Does UK pressure Stoops and staff to be more visible? Do they actually promote the players? The program? What should UK/Stoops do to rally the troops for 2026?
Even after the win last night, it still feels like the most likely outcome this season is UK and Stoops agreeing to a reduced buyout package that allows both parties a fresh start, but what if Kentucky does get to six wins and Stoops decides he wants to stay? Change would still be needed in some form.
Six assistant coaches are working on contracts that expire in June, including defensive coordinator Brad White. The offense took a step back against a good Auburn defense after three consecutive weeks of improving performances, so offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan’s status still seems tenuous, even though he has one more year on his contract. I would expect multiple staff changes to help Stoops sell the idea he is not satisfied with just reaching six wins.
Regardless of who the coach is, it will be fascinating to see how the first offseason under the revenue sharing rules affects Kentucky’s roster-building ability. Stoops has voiced optimism that shifting the bulk of player compensation to athletic department funds and away from outside NIL collectives will even the playing field for programs like Kentucky, but the football team will still be operating at something of a deficit compared to its SEC peers since the men’s basketball team will command a larger share of the revenue sharing budget than anywhere else in the league. A large group of players with remaining eligibility — including Cutter Boley, Willie Rodriguez, DJ Miller, Cam Miller, Tavion Gadson and Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace — will likely command raises in order to stay in Lexington before UK even looks to the transfer portal for multiple starter-ready additions.
How much desire Stoops has to be more public in his efforts to drum up support for 2026 will likely determine whether he wants to come back to UK, even in the 6-6 scenario. He has pushed back on the narrative that he was less visible than normal last offseason, but even if he is right a “normal” amount of visibility will not be enough this year to have any hope of full support in 2026.
The Goblin on Bluesky: Beating Auburn felt good. Beating a bad Auburn team by scoring one touchdown is the flip side of that reality. It would seem talent assessment is our challenge. How does that get fixed if you keep Stoops around?
Kentucky appears to have significantly improved its hit rate on transfer additions versus a year ago, but that improvement comes with a couple major caveats. With so many holes on the roster that needed to be filled last winter, the staff needed to be close to perfect in its transfer evaluations to return to postseason play. That didn’t happen.
The second issue is two of the apparent misses in the transfer class (quarterback Zach Calzada and center Evan Wibberley) required two of the team’s larger NIL deals to sign. For a program like Kentucky without an endless roster budget, you cannot afford to have two of your biggest earners not contributing.
The good news is multiple freshmen have shown enough growth to assume they can fill some of the holes in 2026, reducing the need of another massive transfer haul. Of course, Kentucky will need to work to keep those players from the transfer interest they are sure to receive from powerhouse programs. More transfers will be needed, too, with offensive tackle, offensive guard, running back, wide receiver, inside linebacker and punter all positions that could use transfer additions capable of immediately starting, even if all the important underclassmen return.
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 6:15 AM.
