Longtime Kentucky sports broadcaster Alan Cutler shared some shocking news Friday on his radio show on ESPN Sports Radio 1300 AM/92.5 FM. He said that during the 2024 season, after Kentucky’s loss to Tennessee
in Knoxville, Mark Stoops went to Mitch Barnhart to negotiate a buyout.
“Sources are telling me that Mark Stoops went to Mitch Barnhart after the Tennessee game and said he wanted out and he would negotiate the buyout, and it never happened.”
Cutler later clarified on his show that one of his sources texted him, saying they had never heard that story until he said it on Friday.
He also mentioned later in his radio show that he wondered if Barnhart did not respond to Stoops wanting a buyout because Kentucky did not have the money to negotiate a deal with Stoops. If true, the report is very shocking and comes out of nowhere.
Stoops is now in his 13th year at Kentucky, where he holds a 79–75 overall record, a 51.3% win percentage. However, if you take out the 2021 season that was vacated, his record drops to 69–75, or a 47.9% win percentage.
While Stoops has led Kentucky to two 10-win seasons, two Citrus Bowl victories, and several big wins, recent results tell a different story. He went 7–6 in 2022 and 2023, losing both bowl games, and in 2024, the team went 4–8, missing a bowl entirely.
The timing of the report is also interesting. Kentucky is currently 2–2 overall, 0–2 in SEC play, and could fall to 2–3 after facing Georgia on Saturday. Stoops nearly left for Texas A&M in 2023 before that deal fell through, and this latest report from Cutler raises questions about whether Stoops is committed to Kentucky long-term and whether Barnhart believes he’s still the man for the job.
How Stoops addresses Cutler’s comments on Saturday will be interesting, as he could be asked about it after the Georgia game, and depending on his answer, he could either leave room for speculation or deny Cutler’s comments.
Below, you can hear the full story from Alan Cutler, which begins at the 13:07 mark.
