The Kentucky football program is in a precarious place. As Mark Stoops acknowledged to open his Monday press conference, the Wildcats still have a quarter of their season left to play, and yet, it doesn’t feel like those games matter all that much.

Kentucky football head coach Mark Stoops emphatically responded to rumors of him leaving the program and retiring

Mark Stoops heard the question and brushed it aside like an unwanted fly buzzing near his soup. Stoops is the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC. He’s been at Kentucky since 2013. He’s won his share of games, 66 of them, but has also lost his share, too, with 71 of those.

Marks Stoops has made himself clear on his future as the head coach of Kentucky. During his press conference on Monday, Stoops disputed some of the rumors that he’d be retiring and stepping down at season’s end.

At 57 years old, and the landscape of college football changing dramatically the last several years, Stoops was asked today about rumors of possibly deciding to retire at the end of the season. His answer was rather emphatic. "Zero percent chance I do that," was his response.

Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talks to the media on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, as the Wildcats prepare to play the Murray State Racers on Saturday at Kroger Field in Lexington. Murray State is 2-9 this season.