Kentucky’s 15-14 win in Columbia was monumental for many reasons. The win kept the Wildcats’ hopes alive for an SEC Championship setting up a de facto SEC East Championship Game next weekend in Lexington against Georgia, it ensured Kentucky has the first winning season in SEC play since 1977 and it automatically extended the contract of Mark Stoops by one year.

If you were unaware, Stoops’ current Kentucky contract calls for an automatic one-year extension every time his team reaches the seven-win plateau in a regular season. If Kentucky manages to win 10 games in a regular season, Stoops’ deal automatically extends for two-years, instead of one year.

Stoops was already under contract in Lexington for the 2022 season and now has a deal that runs until the 2023 season. The Kentucky coach will also receive an all-time high payment of $5.25 million for the 2023 season as his contract calls for an automatic $250,000 raise each season he remains in Kentucky.

For anyone suggesting that Stoops may inquire regarding open jobs once the coaching carousel heats up, they need to consider there’s a chance no coach in college football has a more favorable contract than Stoops does at the moment. While he isn’t the nation’s or SEC’s highest-paid coach, considering the level of momentum he has achieved in Lexington and the way his team is playing for him after steadily building year after year, Stoops may have what equates to a life-long contract that will compensate him at a competitive rate.

When you consider Stoops is already receiving a top 25 highest-paid salary (with annual $250,000 raises), you have to imagine he’s not going to just jump for any other job barring a ridiculous contract offer that Kentucky would decide not to match.