< PreviousMike Stoops, a 35-year collegiate coach- ing veteran, who is the brother of head coach Mark Stoops, enters his fourth season as the inside linebackers coach at UK. Before UK, Stoops coached at Florida At- lantic where he spent the 2021 season as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Prior to that, he spent two seasons (2019 and 2020) at Alabama as an analyst on Nick Saban’s staff, highlighted by the 2020 national championship. He also was the assistant head coach and de- fensive coordinator at Oklahoma from 2012-18 and was the head coach at Ari- zona from 2004-11. He had a first term at Oklahoma from 1999-2003, including the 2000 national championship season. 1987Graduate AssistantIowa 1988-91Volunteer AssistantIowa 1992-95Defensive EndsKansas State 1996Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive EndsKansas State 1997Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive BacksKansas State 1998Asst. HC/Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive BacksKansas State 1999-2003Asst. Head Coach/Co-Def. Coord./Defensive BacksOklahoma 2004-11Head CoachArizona 2012-14Asst. Head Coach/Def. Coord./Defensive BacksOklahoma 2015-18Asst. HC/Defensive Coordinator/Outside LinebackersOklahoma 2019-20Quality ControlAlabama 2021Defensive Coordinator/SafetiesFlorida Atlantic 2022-presentInside LinebackersKentucky MIKE STOOPS Inside Linebackers L’Damian Washington is in his first year as wide receivers coach at Kentucky after being hired on Dec. 17, 2024. Washington, 33, came to the Bluegrass af- ter two seasons (2023-24) as the wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator at USF. He was the wide receivers coach in 2023 before adding pass game coordinator to his title in 2024. He spent the 2022 season working with the offense at Oklahoma. Prior to Oklahoma, he worked one season at Southern University. He also served as director of player development at Missouri, in 2020 Following his collegiate playing career at Missouri, Washington signed with the Dallas Cowboys. He would later spend time with seven NFL teams before playing in the CFL. He briefly played in the Birmingham Alliance of American Football in 2019 and then played for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL. 2020Director of Player DevelopmentMissouri 2021Wide ReceiversSouthern (La.) 2022Wide ReceiversOklahoma 2023Wide ReceiversUSF 2024Wide Receivers/Pass Game CoordinatorUSF 2025-presentWide ReceiversKentucky L'DAMIAN WASHINGTON Wide Receivers Brad White is in his eighth season at Ken- tucky as the outside linebackers coach and seventh as the Cats’ defensive coordinator. He was elevated to the DC position by head coach Mark Stoops in February of 2019. White came to Kentucky after spending six years as the outside linebackers coach with the Indianapolis Colts. A graduate of Wake Forest, White started at linebacker and finished his playing career with 227 tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and eight passes defensed, while starting 34-of-35 games played. White was a three-time Academic All-ACC selection and was named to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District III team. 2007-08Defensive Graduate AssistantWake Forest 2009SafetiesMurray State 2010-11Inside LinebackersAir Force 2012-13Defensive Quality ControlIndianapolis (NFL) 2014Assistant LinebackersIndianapolis (NFL) 2015-17Outside LinebackersIndianapolis (NFL) 2018Outside LinebackersKentucky 2019-presentDefensive Coordinator/Outside LinebackersKentucky BRAD WHITE Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Eric Wolford enters his second straight season as Kentucky's offensive line coach in 2025. Wolford, who was Kentucky’s offensive line coach in 2021, spent the two seasons in between at Alabama. Prior to UK in 2021, Wolford spent four seasons at South Carolina. Wolford has over 25 years of coaching experience, including two in the NFL. A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Wolford, attended Ursuline High School where he was enshrined into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. He received his bachelor’s degree in social sciences with a focus on monetary policy and banking from Kansas State in 1994. 1996Offensive Line/Strength CoachEmporia State (Division II) 1997-99Offensive LineSouth Florida 2000-02Offensive LineHouston 2003Offensive LineNorth Texas 2004-06Offensive LineArizona 2007-08Offensive LineIllinois 2009Offensive LineSouth Carolina 2010-14Head CoachYoungstown State 2015-16Offensive LineSan Francisco 49ers 2017-20Offensive LineSouth Carolina 2021Offensive LineKentucky 2022-23Offensive LineAlabama 2024-presentOffensive LineKentucky ERIC WOLFORD Offensive Line KENTUCKY FOOTBALL Coaching Staff n 2025 University of Kentucky 28 n @UKFootballn Record graduation rates and bold goals for continued growth, guided by our strategic plan n More than 8,000 degrees and 1,700 certificates awarded in the last academic year n Campus community with students from all 120 Kentucky counties, all 50 states and more than 100 countries n More than $7 billion in campus transformation, much of it financed in collaboration with private and public partners, focused on student living and learning communities, modern research laboratories, innovative teaching and learning spaces and one of the fastest growing academic medical centers in the country n A nearly $8.6 billion enterprise, UK is the region’s largest employer n The $527 million UK spent on research and development in FY24 generated $937 million in economic activity across the state, supporting more than 4,700 jobs throughout Kentucky n UK students compete successfully for prestigious scholarships and awards, such as the Fulbright, Astronaut, Truman, Goldwater, Marshall, Udall, Rhodes and Gates Cambridge n The hospitals and clinics of UK HealthCare provide advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from Kentucky and beyond. UK HealthCare is also home to the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center. 32 n @UKFootball University of Kentucky n The Commonwealth’s Flagship Institution KENTUCKY FOOTBALLLEARN MORE AT UKY.EDU In Every Community. For Every Kentuckian. At the University of Kentucky, we don’t just show up on game day. We show up every day…for farmers, for families, for patients in our hospitals and for students chasing bold dreams. We are advancing agriculture and healthcare, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship and expanding opportunities for Kentuckians so they become healthier, wealthier and wiser. We are the University of, for and with Kentucky. And we’re advancing Kentucky together. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY UNIVERSITYD r. Eli Capilouto became the 12th Pres- ident of the University of Kentucky on July 1, 2011. Under his leadership, the Commonwealth’s flagship and land grant research university has grown from $2.7 billion to $8.6 billion in total operations and has gained significant momentum in ad- vancing Kentucky — the institution’s singu- lar yet multifaceted mission. President Capilouto has led a more than $7.3 billion transformation of the campus, aimed at enriching the living-learning ex- perience of UK’s students, ensuring their success; strengthening the university’s re- search infrastructure dedicated to solving Kentucky’s most intractable health and economic challenges; and expanding UK HealthCare’s capacity to teach, heal and serve. Through partnerships with the pri- vate sector, increased philanthropy and effective financial management, UK is self-financing much of this aggressive in- frastructure development with the purpose of equipping the next generation of leaders who will impact our Commonwealth and world for the better. Under his leadership, the university has experienced historic student suc- cess; enhanced care of our people; unri- valed ingenuity; greater trust, transparen- cy and accountability; and one communi- ty made up of many people. The progress on campus is resulting in a high-quality workforce and improved well-being for the Commonwealth UK has served for more than 160 years — all essential to ad- vancing Kentucky. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Capilouto previously served as provost of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and dean of the UAB School of Pub- lic Health — a period of remarkable growth and transformation at one of the leading academic and health sciences institutions in the South. Dr. Capilouto holds several undergraduate and graduate degrees from schools within the University of Alabama system, a Doctorate of Dental Medicine from UAB and a Doctorate in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University. He and his wife, Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto (D.M.D.), a former Dean of the UAB School of Dentistry, have one daughter. KENTUCKY FOOTBALL Eli Capilouto n President of the University of Kentucky 34 n @UKFootballDRUM ROLL PLEASE… • SAVE $200 OFF THE REGULAR LIFE MEMBERSHIP RATE. • AFFORDABLE MONTHLY OR ANNUAL PAYMENT PLANS. • ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE PERKS, UK ATHLETICS TICKETS, DISCOUNTS, CAREER SUPPORT AND MORE. • STAY IN TUNE WITH BIG BLUE NATION — FOR LIFE. INTRODUCING THE NEW RECENT GRADUATE* LIFE MEMBERSHIP! Whether you’re the one whose recently turned the tassel or you’re looking for a grad gift that strikes the right chord, this is music to any Wildcat’s ears! *Recent Graduate: those who have completed their first UK degree in the last five years. SAVE $200! A GREAT GIFT FOR GRADS! DON’T MISS THIS SPECIAL GIFT! Join as a New Recent Graduate Life Member by Nov. 30 and receive a limited-edition UK Alumni umbrella — perfect for rain or shine! Be sure to use promo code: WM26AY. Don’t miss your cue — this offer marches away soon! Scan the QR code or visit www.ukalumni.net/membership and join today! N ow in his 24th year as Director of Ath- letics at the University of Kentucky, Mitch Barnhart’s impact spans the past, present, and future of UK Athletics while reaching across the entire landscape of col- lege sports. Massive changes are underway in col- lege athletics, and Barnhart is once again helping lead the way. He is one of 10 athlet- ics directors on the Settlement Implementa- tion Committee, guiding the national rollout of the House case settlement. “Ten years of work in ten months,” he says with a wry grin. This isn’t Barnhart’s first national leader- ship role in tumultuous times. In 2020–21, he chaired the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tour- nament Committee. With the 2020 tourna- ment canceled due to COVID-19, losing another landmark event would have jeop- ardized the NCAA’s primary revenue source and its championship operations across Di- visions I, II, and III. Working with the NCAA staff, Barnhart and his committee reorganized the massive event in just three months. The first-of-its-kind arrangement preserved one of America’s most cherished sporting events and kept the NCAA financially afloat, in addition to providing mil- lions of dollars to participating schools. At Kentucky, Barnhart is also shaping the future. UK Athletics is transitioning to Champions Blue LLC, a new business struc- ture enabling more agile financial opportu- nities. It’s being hailed as a groundbreaking model in college athletics. Barnhart’s 23-plus years at UK make him the second-longest serving AD among Pow- er 4 schools. With Oklahoma’s Joe Castigli- one set to retire, Barnhart will soon become the longest-tenured Power 4 AD. Barnhart has a long history of nation- al service. In addition to his five-year term on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee, he served on the College Foot- ball Playoff Committee—one of only four people to serve as men's basketball chair and also on the football committee. Barnhart’s national influence extends through his “AD tree” – seven former staffers have become Division I athletics directors. Under Barnhart’s leadership, UK Ath- letics placed in the top 20 of the NACDA Directors’ Cup all-sports standings from 2017–23 (excluding 2020). The program’s nine best finishes have all come during his tenure, including a school-record ninth place in 2021–22, driven by a national title in rifle, an NCAA runner-up finish in men’s tennis, and third-place finishes in women’s indoor and outdoor track and field. UK has earned six NCAA championships under Barnhart: men’s basketball (2012), volleyball (2020), and rifle (2011, 2018, 2021, 2022). The Wildcats also have won 60 regular-season and tournament conference titles, including first-time championships in baseball, women’s tennis, men’s golf, STUNT, and women’s swimming and diving. Since 2020, five Wildcats have been named National Athlete of the Year in their sport. Asia Seidt of swimming and diving re- ceived the NCAA Woman of the Year award for her excellence in athletics, academics, and community service. Numerous other Wildcats have earned national honors for their achievements on the field, in the class- room, and in the community. UK athletes have also been recognized as SEC Male and Female Athlete of the Year, SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and SEC Male and Female Community Service Leaders of the Year. On the international stage, UK athletes made a major impact at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Eleven Wildcats earned 13 med- als—including nine golds—tying for third among colleges for most medals won by Team USA athletes. Barnhart’s success has earned him per- sonal accolades. In 2022, he was inducted into the (State of) Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and received the John L. Toner Award from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame for excellence in ath- letics administration. These honors add to a growing list of ac- colades, including being named the 2019 Division I AD of the Year by SportsBusiness Journal. Since arriving at UK in 2002, Barnhart has emphasized academic achievement and community engagement. The depart- ment first reached a 3.0 GPA in spring 2010 and has maintained that standard for 26 consecutive semesters. Wildcats con- tribute up to 4,000 hours of community service annually, with outreach extending to Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic, and Panama. Barnhart’s personal life reflects his com- mitment to growth and service. He is an avid mountain climber, has completed tan- dem parachute jumps with the Army Gold- en Knights, participated in mission trips, and serves on the national advisory board of K-Love Radio. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Barnhart and his wife, Connie, have three children and seven grandchildren. KENTUCKY FOOTBALL Mitch Barnhart n Director of Athletics n University of Kentucky 36 n @UKFootballNext >