Not a positive outlook
- Thread starter TNCatfanforever
- Start date
Bill Belichek.... I don't think he is going to be wildly successful but I wouldn't rule it out either.
Maybe, maybe not. The game is fought in the trenches. IDK what will be the result of the OL rebuild. We will have to see. But if our lines play better, then the results will be better. Every team faces new challenges every year. What I do know for sure is that every new season brings surprises. There is a reason they are called surprises, since the rank and file don't see them coming. It could turn out that Vince Marrow might know what he is talking about. All of us should hope so. I know I do.
Stoops buyout does not go down that much next year. If we fire him after next year it’s the 2nd largest buyout ever paid. I can’t believe any UK fan that has known Mitch would ever believe he would pay that.
We are stuck with Stoops. We need to hope he turns it around.
This is where we are unfortunately. The easiest solution for EVERYONE(Stoops, Mitch, Fans) is for Coach Stoops to turn this thing around next season. Unfortunately, we have one of, if not THE toughest schedule in America next season. However, Coach Stoops seems to do his best when NO ONE thinks he can. Hope he can prove the world WRONG and put this program back to where it was 5 years ago.
I disagree. It will go from $41 million to $34 million after the upcoming season. If they have another terrible season, ticket sales will decline drastically. With 8 home games in the 2026 season, a dip in attendance by an average of 10,000 a game would be about an $8 million dollar hit in revenue.
He will have no choice but to make a move. I still firmly believe UK will be able to negotiate the timeframe in which the buyout is paid. That’s a big key to me.
Why do you believe UK will be able to negotiate the time frame? What does UK have to offer that would be attractive to MS for him to agree to defer the money?
I don't understand the confidence ofCMS negotiating a buyout. If it gets to that point he is being fired, why do the one firing you any favors? I would want every penny the contract called for and think most people would. I just can't see him saying " you are firing me and I am owed 40m dollars, but will you please only give me 20m".
There is a faction that thinks stoops is an old midwestern guy that will do the ‘right thing’ if he can’t get it done. I’m just telling anybody that thinks that they are way off base. He’s a guy that will get his money one way or the other. I’m not saying I blame him but anyone that thinks he’ll do everybody a favor is mistaken.
Stoops buyout does not go down that much next year. If we fire him after next year it’s the 2nd largest buyoutiever paid. I can’t believe any UK fan that has known Mitch would ever believe he would pay that.
We are stuck with Stoops. We need to hope he turns it around.
this is my thinking. Stoops holds all the cards. If I got a full house, I’m not negotiating shit. My bourbon company is here, my house is here. My friends are here. Why would he have any interest in negotiating??
The only positive for Mitch is he gets his money and doesn’t have to work for it. The negative to that is he can’t work anywhere without giving some money back. That is a pair of 2s to a full House. I ain’t negotiating one dime if it’s me.
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I believe Mitch and Stoops have a really good relationship. If Stoops struggled to another 4-8 season next year, I think he’d understand why he was being let go…hell, I could even see where the split was mutual as Stoops might have had enough.
From a tax perspective alone, I would think that taking $34 million over 5 years would be much friendlier on taxes then taken as a lump sum.
Regardless of how it’s paid out, I believe if it’s another bad year, he will not be the coach here in 2026.
Well Midwestern guy or not, IF he is fired according to the contract he is owed the buyout. I think UK is his last coaching job, to me it would be taking from my kids if I were in his position.
Now if there are some skeletons in the closet he might be willing to negotiate but I know nothing about that.
It's really not hard to understand. The bozos are waiting to renegotiate the TV contract because ESPN has refused to pay more for the extra game.
You realize you can look these things up before you comment, right? There is zero difference in tax rate between someone making $5mm or $35mm in a year. For a single earner the highest tax bracket begins at $626k.
I think folks put too much into the contract.
CMS is dangerously close to be coming a defunct lame duck coach, losing the fan base, and losing what little currency/cred he has on the recruiting trail.
Another bad season he’s going to lose all that. He’ll have a contract but nothing else.
Mitch may not be able to fire him but he won’t have to give him what he wants either. No more extensions/bumps for staff.
He’s been able to keep his core crew of boys around. Not sure what their contract situations are but I think when it comes up it’s going to get more difficult to keep the band together. I’m sure they’re cheap and relatively easy to get rid of if push came to shove.
“But my 30 million buyout…”
“I need another bump for my million dollar recruiter…I need my buddies to get renewed…I need NIL money…”
“Okay keep coming back to struggle against Vanderbilt and South Carolina… no no no on everything and everyone else ”
CMS is dangerously close to be coming a defunct lame duck coach, losing the fan base, and losing what little currency/cred he has on the recruiting trail.
Another bad season he’s going to lose all that. He’ll have a contract but nothing else.
Mitch may not be able to fire him but he won’t have to give him what he wants either. No more extensions/bumps for staff.
He’s been able to keep his core crew of boys around. Not sure what their contract situations are but I think when it comes up it’s going to get more difficult to keep the band together. I’m sure they’re cheap and relatively easy to get rid of if push came to shove.
“But my 30 million buyout…”
“I need another bump for my million dollar recruiter…I need my buddies to get renewed…I need NIL money…”
“Okay keep coming back to struggle against Vanderbilt and South Carolina… no no no on everything and everyone else ”
My CPA mother is going to be really disappointed in me! Disregard that part of my post.
I still 100% feel that if Stoops is sitting at 4-8 again after this upcoming year, there will be a mutual agreement regardless of how it's paid out. He will get his money one way or the other and will be on his way.
$34 million over 3 years, 5 years, or 10 years will all be in the same tax bracket, the maximum. Taking the money over time only benefits our school. The present value of the dollar and lost investment time for Stoops is a big hit for him. I can't see any way Stoops would or maybe should take the money over time.
Yep…someone already corrected me on that. I still firmly believe if he goes 4-8 again, he’s gone, whether it’s all paid at once or over a period of time. The program cannot take another hit like that.
Stoops was a good hire…the mistake was the length of the contract extension (same with Cal). For an AD that has been at a school for 20+ years, he’s made relatively good hires and moved on from bad ones pretty quick. He sucks immensely at extensions and long-term contracts. I fear those more than I fear hires.
I appreciate and understand your thoughts. The concern is we all know Barnhart is most likely nearing retirement. A high end coach would like to think his boss, the AD that hires him, will be in place for years. As crazy as it might seem, a new AD likes to put his stamp on his empire, the Athletic Dept. Easiest way is to hire coaches. If a coach is hired by an AD that is till in place and the coach has a tough year, he will be less likely to be fired by the AD that hired him vs a new AD looking to make a statement. Barnhart is too close to retirement to be hiring a new football coach. Just a thought, I certainly have never hired a coach and never will.
