Mark Pope’s contract as the University of Kentucky’s new men’s basketball coach has been finalized and approved.
Pope, a former player for UK and previously the head coach at BYU, was officially announced as the Wildcats’ new coach on April 12, shortly after John Calipari’s departure. After nearly six weeks, all necessary parties have signed off on Pope’s contract.
The contract spans five years and is valued at $27.5 million, with Pope set to earn an average of $5.5 million annually. Additionally, he stands to gain various incentives and bonuses tied to the team’s performance both on and off the court.
Pope’s base salary for the upcoming 2024-25 season is $5 million, increasing by $250,000 each subsequent year until 2028-29. Notably, if Kentucky reaches the Sweet 16, his contract automatically extends by one season, with an added $250,000 to his salary per extended year, capped at five additional seasons.
Beyond his fixed salary, Pope has the opportunity for additional earnings based on the team’s achievements. This includes bonuses for winning the SEC regular season ($100,000) or the SEC Tournament ($50,000), events that were infrequent during Calipari’s later years. Further bonuses are tied to NCAA Tournament performance, ranging from $50,000 for reaching the Sweet 16 to $500,000 for winning the national championship, with no cumulative bonuses for multiple rounds.
Additionally, Pope stands to earn separate $25,000 bonuses for meeting academic benchmarks in the Academic Progress Rate (APR) and Grade Point Average (GPA).
In addition to customary clauses found in UK coaching contracts, Mark Pope’s agreement outlines terms for his potential departure before the conclusion of the 2028-29 season.
If Pope is terminated without cause before the contract’s end, he would be entitled to receive 75% of the remaining compensation.
This percentage mirrors what would have been owed to Calipari under his final contract, despite Calipari’s significant extension of 10 years and $86 million after the 2018-19 season. At the time of his departure for Arkansas, Calipari still had five years and $44.5 million remaining on his contract.
Pope also has the option to opt out of his contract. The amount he would owe UK in such a scenario hinges on Mitch Barnhart’s status. If Barnhart remains UK’s AD, Pope would owe 33% of his remaining contract. However, if Barnhart is no longer in that role, Pope would owe only 20% of the remaining contract.
Barnhart’s own extension, through the 2027-28 academic year, was signed last year.
UK BASKETBALL ASSISTANT COACH SALARIES
In addition to Mark Pope’s contract, agreements for two of his initial hires as UK coach have been finalized.
Cody Fueger, the first announced addition to Kentucky’s coaching staff, has worked alongside Pope for over a decade, serving as one of his assistants for all nine of his previous seasons as a head coach. Fueger’s deal with UK spans two years, with a salary of $500,000 for the 2024-25 season and $525,000 for the 2025-26 season.
Associate coach Mark Fox has agreed to a one-year deal valued at $200,000.
Both Fueger and Fox will be eligible for on-court bonuses tied to the team’s performance, including $20,000 for reaching the Sweet 16, $30,000 for advancing to the Elite Eight, $50,000 for making it to the Final Four, and $100,000 for winning the national championship. Additionally, they stand to earn $30,000 for an SEC regular-season title and $20,000 if Kentucky clinches the SEC Tournament.
While details of contracts for associate head coach Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart have not been disclosed, UK President Capilouto signed Fox’s contract on May 22 and Fueger’s contract on May 24.
Brooks, Fueger, and Hart are the three assistants permitted to accompany Pope in off-campus recruiting activities. Fox, leveraging his 18 years of head coaching experience at the Division I level, will hold one of the two positions not allowed for off-campus recruiting but will engage in on-court instruction and other coaching activities.
The fifth and final assistant coach position for next season under Pope’s leadership remains unfilled at this time.
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