Mitch Barnhart retired, but at the same time he did not. Barnhart stepped down as the athletic director at Kentucky for a new position within the program with vague responsibilities. One that never existed until now.  Barnhart was named the school’s Executive in Residence for the UK Sports and Workforce Initiative, which will be effective July 1 and pay almost $1 million per year. With Mark Pope’s basketball program and the school’s football program in shambles, this decision has been called out by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. 

“I’m not sure there’s ever a finish line for leaders,” Barnhart said regarding his new role. “You get to a spot where you finish one job and the next one starts and then the next task and the next task and the next task. At some point you have to say the baton is someone else’s to carry.” But within all this celebration, no one knew what exactly he would do in this role. Now, the governor has expressed his concern around the Kentucky program that is not in the best place. 

“I am losing confidence and growing increasingly concerned with the management and decision-making at the University of Kentucky,” Beshear wrote. “My concerns include the creation of a new $1 million job that has no defined duties and the announcement that the new dean of law was the only candidate not recommended by law school faculty.”

That number is especially concerning for UK Athletics. The university told the Herald that the funds for Barnhart will arrive from UK Athletics rather than the UK General Fund as they originally said. This mix-up further raised eyebrows, as not knowing the source of the money is a blunder few would make. 

The basketball program in particular is bleeding cash under Mark Pope. The team reportedly spent $22 million on the roster. But, Pope and Co. were knocked out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after going 22-14. The football program recently fired Mark Stoops in December after four consecutive sub-.500 seasons and they had to pay that $37.6 million buyout. It was one of the largest in college football history. Kentucky native Will Stein was hired as the replacement on a five-year $28.5 million contract, with an $8 million staff in year one.

This one million per year going to a retired Director is just the tip of the iceberg in Kentucky and apparently was the final straw for the Governor. This past season, the department announced it could borrow up to $141 million from the university, part of which would cover $31 million in projected athletics deficits for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. 

While the program struggles, Barnhart will receive a  base salary of $950,000. That is along with a retention incentive of $650,000, 10 tickets for each UK home football game, men’s basketball game, and baseball game for life. Barnhart will also continue to receive benefits and his country club membership. All that for a role that is not clearly defined. For the Governor, he feels that these decisions are because of someone outside the university.

“I’ve been told that despite previously saying the dean must be approved by the UK’s Board of Trustees, the university has shifted and now states that approval is not needed,” he further wrote. “I worry that these actions are related to certain donors pushing partisan and undue outside influence onto the university. I hope students, faculty, trustees and the community attend this week’s board meetings and ask the tough questions that should be answered.”

Governor Andy Beshear is not the first one to criticise Barnhart and Kentucky. Prominent UK donor Brett Setzer said Barnhart’s new role is “a slap in the face to donors who are constantly told that the program always comes first. And it sends a troubling message to the rest of the UK community and BBN.”

Administrators’ first priority is to take care of themselves, using other people’s money.” Many others criticized the decision but Barnhart fired back. He called out the “two or three knuckleheads” who think he will “sit in a rocking chair and eat hay” for the rest of his life. The entire program is under scrutiny but Mark Pope even more so. 

Mark Pope Accused Of Lacking “Killer Mentality” That Defines A Wildcat

After a disastrous season, Mark Pope has just 8 players on his squad so far. The transfer portal has been underwhelming at best and their recruiting has seen severe competition. They were once favorites to get the No. 1 High School player Tyran Stokes. But they are now competing with Kansas and Oregon for his signature. They lost out on Donnie Freeman, who picked St. John’s over Kentucky. As Pope struggles in rough waters, one of his former teammates has given a harsh verdict on his mentality. 

Pope is a Kentucky legend, winning the National Championship with the team in 1995. Derek Anderson, who went on to play for 11 seasons in the NBA after Kentucky, recently came out criticizing Pope. 

“You saw when we played, I’m dancing when I dunk on you,” Pope said. “He’s just like this, ‘Good play, DA. Go sit down.’ Like, that’s a great guy, but that’s not Kentucky. Like, I was taught to dominate players whenever I played, and that was a mentality.”

Coaches and players need ruthlessness to win. Especially at the winningest program in college basketball history. According to Field Of 68, Freeman specifically chose Rick Pitino over Pope. “He wanted a guy that would coach him hard and wanted someone who had coached pros,” they reported. It further shows how Pope is struggling to recruit despite massive financial backing from the university.