LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With coaching changes making headlines almost by the hour, the University of Kentucky moved to secure coach Mark Stoops. The coach has agreed to a contract extension with enhanced terms, Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart said Tuesday.
The contract will run through June 2028 and continues guaranteed extensions for any season with seven wins (one-year extension) or 10 wins (two-year extension). The agreement takes into account the Wildcats' current 9-3 campaign, which already had earned a one-year extension through June 2027, regardless of the outcome of UK's upcoming bowl game.
The contract has been agreed upon and is in the process of getting signatures. The amended terms will be confirmed upon completion of the contract.
"We have been in discussion with Coach Stoops in recent weeks and are excited about his ongoing commitment to Kentucky," Barnhart said. "Coach Stoops has done an outstanding job in building the UK football program and we look forward to continued success under his leadership."
Stoops had been the subject of some job conjecture with high-profile positions coming open around the country and within the Southeastern Conference, though it's not believed he was a finalist for any position yet.
Sources close to the Kentucky program said Stoops and Barnhart met Sunday after Kentucky's 52-21 win at Louisville ended the Wildcats' regular season with a 9-3 record. The discussion was said to have centered around improvements that can make the program more competitive in recruiting.
"I'm excited to continue to build this program to national prominence," Stoops said in a statement released Tuesday. "We're on our way and I'm more confident in Kentucky football than I've ever been. I thank President Capilouto and Mitch Barnhart for their support. The continuity among us for the last nine years is extremely valuable and I'm looking forward to more success together. Mitch and I came to an agreement a week or two ago and shook hands on it Saturday afternoon. This process is a compliment to our relationship."
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