Story bySep 27, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops celebrates a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn ImagesWescott EbertsMon, March 2, 2026 at 11:46 PM UTC·2 min readSteve Sarkisian finally has a Stoops brother on staff. Five years after the Texas Longhorns head coach opted against hiring Mike Stoops as the program’s linebackers coach due to potential public backlash, a report emerged on Monday from Chip Brown of Horns247 that former Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops is joining Sarkisian’s staff as a special assistant to the head coach. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOther outlets confirmed the news early Monday evening. Stoops reportedly accepted a buyout of close to $38 million in early December after he was fired from Kentucky after 13 seasons and two consecutive losing campaigns in Lexington, finishing as the program’s longest-tenured coach and all-time wins leader with an 82-80 record. From 2016 to 2023, the Wildcats went to eight consecutive bowl games, winning four straight.