Ask Mark Anything: Does UK Athletics lead the nation in ‘bad contracts?’
Questions for this week’s “Ask Mark Anything” include queries on UK sports contract buyouts, the relative worth of spending big on an athletics director vs. a star basketball player, corporate logos on college team jerseys and a potential breakout player for the Kentucky men’s basketball team.
Let’s get to it.
Question one comes from Mike Rogers on X: “I do not understand how UK keeps wasting money on bad contracts?”
Mark’s reply: Let’s stipulate: The buyout culture in college sports is insane.
Last week, we learned that the University of Kentucky will be paying its former athletics director, Mitch Barnhart, a $3.2 million retirement settlement while also paying Michigan State $3.95 million to buy Barnhart’s replacement, now-ex MSU AD J Batt, out of his contract.
However one may feel about those expenditures, they are not breaking UK’s bank. Remember, the University of Kentucky has an overall budget of $9.6 billion for 2026-27. UK is budgeted to spend $219 million in the coming school year on athletics.
The buyout money that is large enough to really hurt in big-time college sports is contained in coaching contracts.
When Kentucky chose to fire longtime head football coach Mark Stoops after last season, UK owed him a $37.7 million buyout within 60 days of his termination.
Stoops agreed to let Kentucky spread out the buyout payments over six years. UK was to pay him $3.94 million within 15 days of his firing. Kentucky will then pay him $6.75 million per year through April 2031. Those payments will be made in quarterly installments each fiscal year on July 1, Oct. 1, Jan. 1 and April 1.
After the 2023-24 men’s basketball season, when many Wildcats backers were pleading for a coaching change, it would have cost Kentucky just under $34 million to remove John Calipari as head coach. Instead, Cal left for Arkansas of his own volition.
I have not been as critical of UK for its mammoth coaching-contract buyouts as have some. When both Calipari and Stoops signed the deals that later became controversial, they were riding high — and there would have been a massive fan backlash had Kentucky let its successful coaches walk.
Based on its actions, the administration at the University of Kentucky has seemed more afraid of losing a successful coach when things are going well than of getting stuck having to play large buyouts later when a coach’s results have declined.
UK was fortunate with Calipari but finally paid the price for its penchant for high coaching-contract buyouts with Stoops.
Question two comes from Stuart Warner on Facebook and requires some set up: New UK AD J Batt is slated to make an average of $2.975 million in salary over the course of his six-year contract. Kentucky is reported to have landed prized Iowa State men’s basketball transfer Milan Momcilovic with a $6 million deal for 2026-27.
Stuart’s question: “Is an AD worth half of a shooting forward?”
Mark’s reply: Probably not.
In all contexts, my belief is that what a person is “worth” is what someone is willing to pay them.
Still, for all the consternation in the college sports universe over how much money players are now able to make, I would say it is coaching and administrative salaries that are most out of whack.
In professional sports, the players make far more than the coaches and general managers. Jalen Brunson, star of the NBA champion New York Knicks, made $34,944,001 in 2025-26. Knicks coach Mike Brown made $10 million.
I am not suggesting that college sports economics should exactly replicate the pros. I do think that, in an entertainment industry, the actual entertainers are the most worthy of receiving the greatest rewards.
Question three comes from David Thompson via email: “With the opportunity for corporate logos on uniforms, and Malachi and Milan or Moreno and Momcilovic on the team, shouldn’t UK go after M&M candies to be a logo on the basketball uniforms?
Mark’s reply: Since the NCAA gave approval for the coming school year for corporate logos to be displayed on team uniforms, I have not heard of universities planning to sell space on jerseys pegged to individual players.
In the case you propose, I would think you would need to cut the “M&M” players, Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic, in on the action since you would be marketing their names.
Question four comes from David Robinson via email: “Is there a player on the current (UK men’s basketball) roster capable of being a breakout player this year, capable of becoming a significant difference maker in many games?”
Mark’s reply: I am bullish on Alex Wilkins.
If you watched the 6-foot-6, 170-pound Wilkins play for Furman against Connecticut in last season’s NCAA Tournament round of 64, he was the best perimeter player in the game. Wilkins hit 8 of 15 shots, 4 of 8 treys, and had 21 points and four assists vs. the Huskies.
Overall, Wilkins had a stellar freshman season at Furman, averaging 17.8 points and 4.8 assists.
There are some areas the Boston product will have to improve as he moves from the Southern Conference to the Southeastern Conference.
He was a so-so 3-point shooter as a college freshman, making 32.8%. However, in Furman’s last five games, Wilkins made 15 of 30 3-point attempts. Given that, plus the fact he is good at the free-throw line (82.4%), there’s every reason to be optimistic about Wilkins as a perimeter shooter.
The biggest area where Wilkins needs to improve is ball security. He averaged a robust 3.8 turnovers a game last year. In a 75-71 overtime loss at East Tennessee State, Wilkins had 11 turnovers.
At Kentucky, in the same backcourt with former Washington point guard Zoom Diallo, Wilkins will not have to occupy the ball as much as he did at Furman, which should help him tighten his handle.
