University of Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart is retiring after 24 years in the post but will begin a new role as the first executive-in-residence of the UK Sport and Workforce Initiative later this year.
According to a copy of Barnhart’s contract that was amended Monday, Barnhart’s new position will receive an annual salary of $950,000 through Aug. 31, 2030.
UK President Eli Capilouto announced Barnhart’s retirement, which will be in June, and new role in a UK Athletics press release on Tuesday.
“After thoughtful discussions, I am gratified that he has agreed to stay on and write another new and exciting chapter,” Capilouto said Tuesday. “Mitch will be the first executive-in-residence of the UK Sport and Workforce Initiative. This initiative will be part of a workforce effort that I mentioned in my remarks recently to the Board of Trustees and that I will be announcing more details about in the coming weeks.”
In 2023, Capilouto extended Barnhart’s contract through June 2028, which at the time included an option to become a special assistant to the president for two years with a salary of $800,000 annually starting July 1, 2026.
ESPN first reported Barnhart’s retirement Tuesday.
Barnhart said in the press release that he was “thankful that Dr. Capilouto is providing a ‘what’s next’ after leaving this position and we can have an impact another way.”
“I’m not sure there’s ever a finish line for leaders,” Barnhart said. “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.”
Barnahart’s retirement comes after the Lexington Herald-Leader reported on investigation records from 2025 that showed former University of Kentucky assistant cross-country and track coach Hakon DeVries made female student-atheletes uncomfortable with actions like late-night visits, conversations about sex and personal comments about their bodies.
DeVries left UK amid an investigation by the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity, the Herald-Leader reported.
The athletics director was no stranger to Frankfort. Last year, Barnhart testified in front of Kentucky lawmakers in favor of an eventual law that allows universities to directly pay college athletes through revenue sharing. The topic of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) laws has grown in recent years, and the 2025 bill made further changes to the state’s NIL law.
Barnhart was hired by UK in 2002.
Barnhart’s amended contract says that he will retain some benefits he had as athletics director when he starts his new position, such as health and life insurance.
A new benefit for Barnhart will be getting 10 tickets for all men’s basketball, football and baseball homes games, as well as access to the Club C in Rupp Arena for men’s basketball home games. That offering will last throughout his and his wife’s lifetimes.
By McKenna Horsely
kentuckylantern.com
