Where does Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops’ salary rank nationally? Among SEC coaches?

LEXINGTON — Mark Stoops remains among the most well-compensated college football coaches in the SEC.

And that also places him among the top-paid coaches nationally, according to USA TODAY’s database on college football coaching salaries, which was released Wednesday.

Where does Stoops, in his 12th season guiding the Kentucky football program, rank among his coaching colleagues in the SEC? And what other things should you know about his contract?

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Here is the pertinent information on Stoops’ annual compensation with the Wildcats.

What is Mark Stoops’ salary at Kentucky?

UK is paying Stoops $9 million for the 2024 season.

How does Kentucky coach Mark Stoops’ salary compare with others in college football?

In pay from their respective universities, Stoops’ $9 million salary is tied for No. 9 nationally among Division I coaches at public institutions. (Private universities, such as Notre Dame and Southern Cal, are not forced to publicly disclose their contracts.) The only coaches in college football with larger salaries than Stoops’ new deal are Kirby Smart (Georgia), Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Steve Sarkisian (Texas), Lincoln Riley (Southern Cal), Kalen DeBoer (Alabama), Mike Norvell (Florida State), Brian Kelly (LSU) and Ryan Day (Ohio State). Three other coaches match Stoops at $9 million: Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri), Josh Heupel (Tennessee) and Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss).

Here’s the list:

*figure listed is from last known income report, citing salary in 2022 calendar year

How does UK coach Mark Stoops’ salary compare with others in the SEC?

As noted above, Stoops’ salary is tied for fifth most among coaches at public universities in the SEC, placing him behind Smart, Sarkisian, DeBoer and Kelly and equaled by Drinkwitz, Heupel and Kiffin.

Next in line in the league, after the Drinkwitz/Heupel/Kiffin/Stoops quartet, is Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, who has an $8.15 million salary this season.

What are the terms of Mark Stoops’ contract with Kentucky?

Stoops signed his latest contract extension the day before his team’s 24-21 home loss to Vanderbilt in November 2022. The deal runs through the 2030 season.

What is Mark Stoops’ buyout at Kentucky?

If Stoops leaves UK for another position prior to June 30, 2025, he will owe Kentucky $3.5 million. After June 30 next year, the buyout decreases to $3 million. It continues to decrease, by $500,000 per year (starting June 30 of each calendar year), through the end of the contract in June 2030.

What bonuses are in Mark Stoops’ contract with the Wildcats?

There are only two performance-based incentives in Stoops’ contract.

Stoops receives $100,000 if Kentucky appears in a non-New Year’s Six bowl. If the Wildcats win eight games in a season, that bonus increases by $50,000.

Stoops will earn $300,000 if UK plays in a current New Year’s Six bowl. With a berth in the playoff semifinals, the bonus increases to $500,000. A national championship game appearance nets Stoops $650,000.

If UK wins a national title, Stoops would pick up an $800,000 bonus.

How long has Mark Stoops been at Kentucky?

Stoops is in the middle of his 12th season at Kentucky, assuming the reins of the program prior to the 2013 campaign. His 12 seasons coached are a program record. If he’s still around through the end of his current deal, he’ll have been UK’s coach for 18 years.

What is Mark Stoops’ coaching record at UK?

There are two answers here.

Stoops’ on-field record with the Wildcats is 76-68 (.528).

But NCAA violations committed by the football program forced Kentucky to vacate all 10 victories from its 2021 season. That year, the Wildcats won 10 games in a season for only the fourth time.

With 10 wins vacated, Stoops’ NCAA-recognized record at UK is 66-68 (.493).

Even with those victories stricken from his tally, Stoops still ranks No. 1 on UK’s coaching wins list. He’s now six victories clear of Hall of Famer Bear Bryant, who went 60-23-5 (.710) in eight seasons with the Wildcats from 1946 through 1953.