Paul Finebaum Reacts to Fired Coach’s Move to SEC Rival While Cashing $37M Buyout

The longtime ESPN analyst shared his thoughts on Texas football hiring a former head coach as a special assistant.

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum is unsure about the role this former head coach will have now that he's joined an SEC rival coaching staff. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns have officially added former Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops to their staff as a special assistant. The move comes shortly after Kentucky fired Stoops following a 13-year tenure in Lexington that ended with a 41-0 loss to rival Louisville.

The hire has drawn significant attention across the SEC, particularly because of the financial details involved. Stoops is set to receive a buyout of approximately $37.7 million from Kentucky over the next two years, yet he has chosen to return to the sidelines immediately in Austin.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum reacted to the news on Monday, noting the high-profile nature of the addition. Finebaum questioned how the hierarchy would function given that Steve Sarkisian had already made a major defensive hire this offseason.

Paul Finebaum reacts to Mark Stoops joining Texas football staff

Finebaum’s primary concern involves the overlap of veteran coaches on the Longhorns' defensive staff. Texas recently hired former Florida and South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator. Adding Stoops, another long-time SEC head coach, creates a unique room of advisors for Sarkisian.

"The question I have is, didn't he just hire Will Muschamp?" Finebaum said during a Monday segment of The Paul Finebaum Show. "How many people have two ex-SEC coaches? Now, Saban used to, I think. But he has two ex-SEC coaches. One is the DC and the other one as what? We don't know."

Finebaum noted that while programs often bring in veteran coaches to mentor younger coordinators, that is not the case here. Muschamp is an established veteran with decades of high-level experience, making the "mentor" role unnecessary.

"It's one thing if you had a 28-year-old defensive coordinator that you wanted to bring a mentor to," Finebaum said. "But Will Muschamp is probably the same age as Mark Stoops. It just goes to show once you're a former coach, you are probably going to be a coach or analyst somewhere."

Despite the questions regarding his specific title, Finebaum acknowledged that the move is a win for the former Kentucky coach. Stoops will be able to stay involved in a College Football Playoff contender while his former school pays out his massive contract.

"So, good for Mark Stoops," Finebaum added. "He lands in Austin while he gets to collect his buyout money."

Former Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops during a game against Louisville. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stoops finished his time at Kentucky as the program's all-time winningest coach with an 82-80 record. He led the Wildcats to two 10-win seasons and eight consecutive bowl games. However, back-to-back losing seasons in 2024 and 2025 led Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart to make a change.

By joining Texas, Stoops enters a program that has become a landing spot for fired head coaches looking to rebuild their stock. Sarkisian previously hired Gary Patterson, Paul Chryst, and Neal Brown in similar analyst or assistant roles. This strategy mimics the "rehabilitation clinic" model popularized by Nick Saban at Alabama.

The Longhorns are expected to utilize Stoops in a game-planning capacity, likely focusing on the defensive secondary. While the money from Lexington continues to roll in, Stoops will spend the 2026 season on the 40 Acres helping Texas pursue an SEC title.

The Texas Longhorns will hold their annual Orange-White spring game in April at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.