Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky AD, reportedly expected to retire after 24 years
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart is expected to retire “in the near future” according to a report from Pete Thamel Tuesday morning. Several other outlets, including Kentucky-based media, have also shared this news.
Barnhart has served as Kentucky’s AD for the past 24 years, the longest-serving AD among Power 4 programs. He served as the chair of SEC athletics directors and has also worked on committees for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and College Football Playoff.
He also, of course, has led Kentucky through a monumental period of change across the past few years as NIL continues to restructure the landscape of college athletics. On top of that, Barnhart hired John Calipari and Mark Stoops, two of the most successful Kentucky coaches for their respective sports in the program’s history.
Barnhart originally took over for Larry Ivy in 2002 after serving as Oregon State’s athletic director from 1998-2002. Barnhart also made previous stops at Tennessee, SMU, Oregon and San Diego State.
While Barnhart has had a successful career with the Wildcats, many fans were calling for change. Despite Stoops and Calipari’s successes, the Wildcats football and basketball programs have seen a downward trend across the past few years, despite considerable NIL investments towards both programs – especially basketball.
A formal announcement from Barnhart is expected soon, according to numerous reports.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
