Mark Stoops’ 13-season Kentucky football tenure is finished.
Multiple reports emerged Sunday that Kentucky was firing Stoops, one day after an embarrassing 41-0 loss to Louisville ended the 2025 season one victory shy of a bowl game.
While UK’s form had dipped under Stoops’ leadership in the past four years, there is no guarantee the next coach will be able to duplicate his success, which included two 10-win seasons and eight bowl berths.
The search is complicated because the obvious top target for the job has already been hired by an SEC rival.
Tulane coach Jon Sumrall played at UK and coached for Stoops in Lexington. He helped recruit several of the best players on the roster during his tenure and maintained a bond with the program strong enough to return to serve as linebackers coach for the Citrus Bowl at the end of the 2021 season even after he had been hired as Troy’s head coach.
Had Texas A&M followed through on its reported plan to hire Stoops after the 2023 season, Sumrall would almost certainly already be the UK coach. Instead, his star has continued to rise in the past two years with Tulane in position for a playoff spot if it beats North Texas in the AAC championship game this week. Florida confirmed Sunday that Sumrall had been hired as its new coach but would continue to coach Tulane through the AAC championship and possible playoff run.
UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart must now consider other options. The good news is Stoops’ success at Kentucky — and UK’s investment in football — has made the job far more attractive than any time it was previously open. There should be no shortage of interest in an SEC opening given the growing gulf between the SEC and Big Ten and the rest of college football.
Here is a rundown of candidates who might make sense for the job.
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein grew up rooting for Kentucky but played for Louisville.
Will Stein (Oregon offensive coordinator)
Why it makes sense: With Sumrall off the table, Stein looks like the top option. A Louisville native, Stein has led one of the most explosive offenses in the country for two seasons at Oregon. This year, the Ducks rank ninth nationally in points per game (38.2) and 13th in yards per game (465.2). That success follows a stint at UTSA, where Stein’s offense ranked ninth in yards per game (486.1) and 12th in points per game (38.7) in 2023. While Stein played sparingly as a walk-on quarterback at Louisville, he grew up in a pro-UK family. Both his parents graduated from UK, and his dad played football for the Wildcats.
Why it might not work: Regardless of Stein’s status as one of the top coordinators in the country, the fact he is a Louisville alum might make him a difficult sell for some UK administrators and fans. Stein could still be in the running for other high-profile jobs this cycle. With Louisville coach Jeff Brohm popping up on hot boards for the Penn State job, it’s not impossible to imagine the Louisville job opening this winter, either. Stein has no head coaching experience, so there is more risk in hiring him. If Oregon makes the playoff as expected, Stein would likely have to split time helping the Ducks prepare with building a staff and roster at UK.
Brian Hartline (Ohio State offensive coordinator)
Why it makes sense: Long considered one of the best recruiters in the country, Hartline could follow the same path that Stoops used at Kentucky in mining Ohio for talent. It is only a matter of time until someone hires Hartline as a head coach, so why not the school where his brother Mike was once quarterback? Mike is already on staff at UK as an offensive analyst. No. 1 Ohio State ranks 13th in points per game (37) and 24th in yards per game (438.5).
Why it might not work: An SEC head coaching position would be difficult to turn down, but Hartline has shown little indication he wants to leave Ohio State despite years of rumors attaching him to other positions. He might be content to stay in Columbus under the hope he replaces Ryan Day as the Buckeyes’ head coach one day. He also has been rumored to be a candidate at Penn State. Even if he is ready to leave Ohio State, there is plenty of risk involved in hiring a coach who will be 39 in his first season on the job and only has spent two seasons as the primary play-caller for Ohio State. Hartline would face the same awkward December balancing act as Stein with Ohio State a lock for the playoff.
Dan Mullen (UNLV coach)
Why it makes sense: Mullen has already proven he can win at a program traditionally ranked toward the bottom of the SEC standings with a 69-46 record in nine seasons at Mississippi State. While things did not work out for him at Florida, even his 34-15 record there would have been a rousing success for Kentucky. After a three-year coaching hiatus, Mullen has proven he still has it with a 10-2 record at UNLV this season. He would certainly satisfy the need for a more exciting offense. UNLV ranks 12th in points per game (37.2) and 15th in yards per game (463.3).
Why it might not work: Mullen was criticized for his lack of recruiting interest at Florida. Maybe that is less important in the NIL/revenue sharing era, or maybe it is more important than ever. We don’t have any proof of how he would handle the current roster-building challenges at a power=conference program to know for sure. Like many of the other coaches on this list, Mullen might have a chance to land a job at a higher-profile program than Kentucky this cycle. It would reportedly cost $6 million to buy Mullen out of his UNLV contract, which could be an issue for UK after paying Stoops to leave.
Bob Chesney (James Madison coach)
Why it makes sense: All Chesney has done as a head coach is win. He was 23-9 at Division III Salve Regina, 44-16 at Division II Assumption, 44-21 at FCS Holy Cross and is 20-5 in two seasons at James Madison. Chesney’s James Madison team ranks 24th nationally in total offense and fifth in total defense. The success of Curt Cignetti at Indiana after leaving James Madison can only help Chesney’s profile. Chesney once hired Liam Coen as his offensive coordinator at Holy Cross (though Coen lasted only a few months on the job before jumping to the NFL).
Why it might not work: Yes, Cignetti has been a massive success at Indiana, but that does not guarantee another coach can make the leap from the Sun Belt to the SEC with no issues. The cutthroat nature of SEC recruiting could be a particularly difficult adjustment. There is no obvious connection between Kentucky and Chesney, either. Chesney’s background is on defense, so he might not be enough of a departure from Stoops. The Pennsylvania native also has been rumored to be the top candidate at UCLA.
LSU fired coach Brian Kelly after a 5-3 start to the 2025 season. He was 34-14 in four seasons there with two 10-win seasons. Carly Mackler Getty Images
Brian Kelly (unemployed)
Why it makes sense: Kentucky would usually not be in the running for a coach with a resume as impressive as Kelly’s, but the timing could align after LSU fired Kelly. The legal battle over how much of the buyout owed Kelly LSU would agree to pay probably took him out of the running for some higher-profile jobs, but LSU agreed last week to pay him the full $53 million buyout, as long as he makes “good-faith, reasonable and sustained efforts to obtain qualifying employment” that could offset the buyout amount. That means Kelly has to be in the market for another job, and Kentucky looks like one of the best remaining options.
Why it might not work: Yes, Kelly is 297-109-2 in stops at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU with 11 10-win seasons at the FBS level, but he has taken heavy criticism for his stint at LSU. The Athletic reported Kelly’s tenure there collapsed because he was out of touch with players and recruiting. Does that sound like a coach ready to build a traditional have-not into a winner?
After leaving Marshall last year, Charles Huff brought many of his players to Southern Miss, where he has overseen a quick turnaround this season. Sam Hodde Getty Images
Charles Huff (Southern Miss coach)
Why it makes sense: Hiring from the Nick Saban coaching tree has generally been a recipe for success over the past decade. Huff served as Saban’s associate head coach and running backs coach from 2019 to 2020 before being hired as Marshall’s head coach. He was 32-20 in four years there before an awkward breakup saw him jump to Sun Belt rival Southern Miss after a 10-win 2024 season. Huff is 7-5 at Southern Miss this season, one year after the Golden Eagles went 1-11.
Why it might not work: Considering the 42-year-old Huff had a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country as an assistant coach, it was surprising to see he had no higher-profile opportunities last year when the situation at Marshall deteriorated. The fact that Marshall seemed content to let Huff walk despite leading the team to a conference championship adds additional questions about his future.
Mike Shanahan (Indiana offensive coordinator)
Why it makes sense: Indiana’s success has given Kentucky fans hope that even a basketball school with little historic football success can thrive in the current environment, so trying to pull from that staff makes sense. Shanahan’s offense ranks second nationally in points per game (44.3) and fifth in yards per game (483.8). He coaches wide receivers, but Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the current betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Why it might not work: Shanahan (no relation to the NFL coaching family with the same last name) has no obvious ties to Kentucky, so he might be more picky about his first head coaching opportunity. For all Indiana’s success this season, Shanahan has not been rumored to be a leading candidate for the open power-conference jobs so far. Is that because he is not viewed as being ready for one or because he is content to wait for the perfect opportunity?
Neal Brown (Texas analyst)
Why it makes sense: Brown, who played at Kentucky and was Stoops’ first offensive coordinator at UK, was once viewed as the most likely Stoops replacement. That hype lessened as he found himself on the hot seat at West Virginia, though. After being fired at West Virginia, Brown spent this season as an analyst for Steve Sarkisian at Texas, giving him time to plan for his next head coaching job.
Why it might not work: It feels like the time to hire Brown passed a few years ago. Regardless of his local ties, it would be a difficult sell to the fan base to hire a coach whom West Virginia fired a year ago. Texas’s inconsistency this season has hardly turned Brown’s stint there into the springboard to revitalize his career he likely envisioned when the Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls, either. The more logical fit for Brown and UK might be a return to the offensive coordinator position.
This story was originally published November 30, 2025 at 10:12 PM.
Jon Hale
Lexington Herald-Leader
Jon Hale is the University of Kentucky football beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the Herald-Leader in 2022 but has covered UK athletics for more than 10 years. Hale was named the 2021 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year.
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