Late to the party: Kentucky fires Mark Stoops at the worst possible time

The Kentucky Wildcats have had a major situation on their hands for the past two seasons, as it's become clear that Mark Stoops is no longer the right man for the job. Over the last two seasons, Kentucky has gone just 9-15 with a 3-13 record in SEC play. The biggest reason Kentucky held onto Mark Stoops was the fact that his buyout was simply way too much money to cough up.

After his loss this weekend, Mark Stoops made it clear he wouldn't be walking away which meant Kentucky's only way out was firing him.

On Sunday Night, the Kentucky Wildcats finally made the decision to move on, as On3's Chris Low and Pete Nakos reported that the Wildcats were firing their long-time head coach.

Kentucky couldn't have had worse timing with the Stoops decision

While Kentucky fans are thrilled that they finally get to usher in a new era, the timing of the decision is truly baffling. Everyone in the fanbase wanted Kentucky to push for former Kentucky Linebacker and assistant Jon Sumrall, but while Kentucky mulled over a decision, he ended up taking the Florida job.

If Kentucky views itself on the same level as most of its SEC counterparts, it didn't even give itself a fighting chance. On Sunday, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, and Ole Miss all named new head coaches, leaving the Wildcats with a group of leftovers to choose from.

Where Kentucky turns next is going to be interesting to follow, as they may make a low-cost hire as they'll owe Mark Stoops his $37 million buyout which is due within 60 days unless the two sides work out a new agreement.

Kentucky made the right decision to fire Mark Stoops, but the decision to wait this long is truly head scratching. The Wildcats will now need to quickly fill the role as they could get beaten to the punch once again by one of the other programs still looking for a head coach.