Did deal with JMI kill Kentucky's chances at any legitimate recruit or portal player?

[Pobilly]

Per A Sea of Blue:

https://www.aseaofblue.com/kentucky-wildcats-news/156448/jmi-deal-uk-negative-impact-recruiting-basketball-football

[SportsFan]

I think that's Mitch's baby, and everything Mitch touches turns to crap, so I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

[blueheretic]

Another reason that Mitch needs to hurry up and retire.

After the Stoops and Cal contracts, he should have been fired.

Now, they let him concoct this madness.

It won't happen but Mitch should be forcibly retired now.

[Matt Dillon]

To be crystal clear, I'm no fan of Mitch Barnhart. I want him gone just as badly as I wanted Stoops gone but I assume this is a legally binding contract which we're stuck with Mitch or no Mitch.

[Matt Dillon]

This could explain why coach Pope wasn't able to sign any higher profile players for this year's team. Also, I wonder if Stein knew about this and, if so, how he feels?

[WeWant9]

I read the KSR and Sea of Blue articles on this. I wont act like I know the inner workings of NIL or JMI, but if we are the only school who is doing it this way, I think that is a problem and something that needs to be addressed ASAP. I'd like to see an overhaul with the athletics department, but that is probably wishful thinking.

I am also going be honest and say I think Pope is part of the problem with recruiting, or at the very least closing the deal. The KSR article had a quote saying he gets too emotional dealing with it, especially when a kid comes back and says school x offered me this amount, what can you do. Fans love to hear the talk about the front of the jersey, a top ranked kid from Chicago does not. I never thought his style or system would attract the best of the best. Pope is a smart guy and I feel he will adapt his approach, just hope he has enough runway to land.

[KentuckyWild2020]

Posted this a few days ago, saw it from another source... Not my words, just passing along the information..

Interesting...

Mitch Barnhart’s 23-year Kentucky resume (revenue sports only):

• 0 College Football Playoff appearances

• 9-14 football last 23 games

• 1 basketball title in the last 13 years

• 4 straight years no Sweet 16

• NCAA probation + vacated wins

• Title IX lawsuit naming Barnhart

• $141 million debt

• $38 million Stoops buyout

• $800k–$1M lifetime “consulting” deal already locked in

#FireMitch

2/9

But it gets worse.

Here are the FOUR smoking-gun contract clauses nobody was supposed to notice — all public record, all undeniable.

3/9

THREAD 1 – PERSONAL KICKBACKS

2023 UKAA Financial Disclosure, Footnote 12:

“success fee-sharing arrangement … payable directly to select athletic department personnel”

Barnhart, Baker, Hill get six-figure checks from JMI every time they extend the contract.

4/9

THREAD 2 – $2 MILLION SECRET SLUSH FUND

2025 JMI Contract, Page 17:

“$2,000,000 annually for ‘executive retention’ paid to designated personnel”

Barnhart’s private piggy bank. Zero oversight.

5/9

THREAD 3 – SHADOW BOARD CONTROLLING $20.5 MILLION

Champions Blue LLC Bylaws, Article IV §2:

“The Athletic Director shall serve as permanent Chair with final approval over all athlete revenue-sharing money”

He built a private company to hide the cash from the public.

6/9

THREAD 4 – GOLDEN HANDCUFFS

2025 JMI Contract, Page 42:

If UK ever fires Barnhart and tries to end the JMI deal early, Kentucky taxpayers must repay JMI every dollar of personal bonuses already paid to Barnhart & staff.

The worse he does, the more it costs to fire him.

7/9

Let that sink in.

Every single “we can’t afford change” excuse you’ve heard for years is because Barnhart wrote himself a clause that makes firing him cost millions extra — in personal kickback repayments to JMI.

8/9

Open Records requests are already flooding in for every dollar, every 1099, every clawback calculation.

The documents are coming.

The excuses are over.

9/9

Big Blue Nation has paid enough for failure, nepotism, and insider deals.

[bthaunert]

Posted this a few days ago, saw it from another source... Not my words, just passing along the information..

Interesting...

Mitch Barnhart’s 23-year Kentucky resume (revenue sports only):

• 0 College Football Playoff appearances

• 9-14 football last 23 games

• 1 basketball title in the last 13 years

• 4 straight years no Sweet 16

• NCAA probation + vacated wins

• Title IX lawsuit naming Barnhart

• $141 million debt

• $38 million Stoops buyout

• $800k–$1M lifetime “consulting” deal already locked in

#FireMitch

2/9

But it gets worse.

Here are the FOUR smoking-gun contract clauses nobody was supposed to notice — all public record, all undeniable.

3/9

THREAD 1 – PERSONAL KICKBACKS

2023 UKAA Financial Disclosure, Footnote 12:

“success fee-sharing arrangement … payable directly to select athletic department personnel”

Barnhart, Baker, Hill get six-figure checks from JMI every time they extend the contract.

4/9

THREAD 2 – $2 MILLION SECRET SLUSH FUND

2025 JMI Contract, Page 17:

“$2,000,000 annually for ‘executive retention’ paid to designated personnel”

Barnhart’s private piggy bank. Zero oversight.

5/9

THREAD 3 – SHADOW BOARD CONTROLLING $20.5 MILLION

Champions Blue LLC Bylaws, Article IV §2:

“The Athletic Director shall serve as permanent Chair with final approval over all athlete revenue-sharing money”

He built a private company to hide the cash from the public.

6/9

THREAD 4 – GOLDEN HANDCUFFS

2025 JMI Contract, Page 42:

If UK ever fires Barnhart and tries to end the JMI deal early, Kentucky taxpayers must repay JMI every dollar of personal bonuses already paid to Barnhart & staff.

The worse he does, the more it costs to fire him.

7/9

Let that sink in.

Every single “we can’t afford change” excuse you’ve heard for years is because Barnhart wrote himself a clause that makes firing him cost millions extra — in personal kickback repayments to JMI.

8/9

Open Records requests are already flooding in for every dollar, every 1099, every clawback calculation.

The documents are coming.

The excuses are over.

9/9

Big Blue Nation has paid enough for failure, nepotism, and insider deals.

I know two of those are factually wrong/misleading without even digging into others:

1. There is not a lifetime consulting deal His contract reads that if he steps down as AD during his contract, there is an option to become a special assistant at $800k/year for the remainder of the contract, which is through 2028, so he would have 2 years of that if he steps down at the end of this year. I haven't dug into the others.

2. The $141 million debt is for construction projects. Every university takes out loans to cover the cost of construction projects, or most would never happen. That debt payoff is built into the budget. Totally misleading information imo.

Mitch has a lot of faults, he's also done a lot of good for this university. It is time for him to move on.

[TrueblueCATfan]

To be crystal clear, I'm no fan of Mitch Barnhart. I want him gone just as badly as I wanted Stoops gone but I assume this is a legally binding contract which we're stuck with Mitch or no Mitch.

Me Too Matt...July can't get here fast enough

[Catsrock]

Stuck with it for 15 more years. Contracts mean nothing in sports but this contract is with a business. SO—better make it work. Perhaps JMI would consider loosening some straps if it’s proven to not be working. They don’t want to be in business with losers. But for now better spin it the other way with recruits—while players elsewhere are suing schools for not coming through with NIL promises, they will be guaranteed their money at UK.

[Jload]

We DESPERATELY need a GM to navigate and negotiate between the numerous actors. My understanding is Pope is way too involved in this function when he needs to be spending time coaching his basketball team. Grandfather once told me: you try to do too many things at once you will end up doing none of them well.

[blueheretic]

They should fire KSR for writing this article.

How dare a group of people act like journalists and do some investigative work to expose the whimsical fallacies of Mitch Barnhart and his contract writing magnificence!!!

They should stick their heads in the sand like the rest of us lest they hurt recruiting with truth or actual, valid information.

[Matt Dillon]

We DESPERATELY need a GM to navigate and negotiate between the numerous actors. My understanding is Pope is way too involved in this function when he needs to be spending time coaching his basketball team. Grandfather once told me: you try to do too many things at once you will end up doing none of them well.

It's my understanding that Stein is going to bring a GM on board. That's probably just be for the fb operations though.

[SportsFan]

It's my understanding that Stein is going to bring a GM on board. That's probably just be for the fb operations though.

That has to be the case. I can't imagine the football coach choosing the GM "for all sports programs".

By the way, I thought that Mark Fox was brought on board by Pope for that specific reason (GM) for the basketball program?

[Pobilly]

The more you hear about the deal and KSR talking to agents the more we have to read into how bad it will get. If we have 15 years of this, we will not be a program worth having. Asking a player to give up NIL rights to JMI to play for UK is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Kids that have NIL deals before they ever get here and UK wants them to put themselves in a box and oh by the way give into JMI and UK to play here.

No reason to believe that we will ever end up with anything more that what we are seeing now. Unless you want to go overseas and get players that do not know any better.