UK Athletics Director Barnhart to fully retire, scraps post-retirement role

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mitch Barnhart will retire as University of Kentucky Athletics Director on June 30 without transitioning into a newly created position that had drawn significant criticism, according to LEX 18 News.

The planned "Executive in Residence for the UK Sports and Workforce Initiative" role, which would have paid $950,000 annually for five years plus lifetime tickets to football, men's basketball and baseball games, will no longer move forward following Barnhart's decision this week, UK President Eli Capilouto announced Thursday.

"Mitch came to me earlier this week to share his concern that the discussion surrounding his future role leading our sports workforce initiative has become a distraction from the work of our university," Capilouto said in a statement. "Mitch and his family care deeply about this institution and our state, and they want the focus to return to the work that matters most for our students and the Commonwealth."

The newly created position had faced substantial scrutiny from state officials and university stakeholders for its lack of clearly defined duties, conflicting messaging about funding sources, and the substantial salary. In March, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear publicly expressed concerns about the contract, citing it as part of a broader pattern of management issues at the institution.

Barnhart, who has served as athletics director for 24 years—longer than any current Power Four Conference peer—said in his own statement that while the family remained committed to UK, "now is not the right time" for the new initiative. "We would never stand in the way of what we deem best," he said.

The lengthy tenure saw significant achievements in UK Athletics, including securing a multimedia rights deal valued at more than $465 million through 2040 and overseeing six NCAA championships. Barnhart was named 2019 Division I AD of the Year by SportsBusiness Journal and inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

Capilouto indicated he would personally raise private funds to cover any compensation associated with Barnhart's departure, ensuring athletics and university operational budgets remain unaffected. The university is conducting a listening tour to identify Barnhart's replacement, with Capilouto emphasizing the need for leadership that can generate revenue while managing expenses efficiently as college sports increasingly operates as a business.