Eric Wolford received one-year contract extension, raise from Kentucky

A big season is on the horizon for the Kentucky football program. Head coach Mark Stoops has decided to lock up one of his top assistants heading into the final year of his contract.

Offensive line coach Eric Wolford has signed a one-year contract and received a $100,000 dollar pay bump in July, according to Kentucky’s Office of Legal Counsel. Wolford will make $900,000 in 2025 and $925,000 in 2026.

The 54-year-old was a member of the Kentucky football staff in 2021 before leaving to become the offensive line coach at Alabama. Eric Wolford spent two years in Tuscaloosa but became a free agent after the 2023 season when Nick Saban retired. Kentucky quickly agreed to terms with the Youngstown native that offseason. Wolford earned $350,000 from UK in 2024. That low number was due to the amount of money Alabama still owed the SEC veteran.

According to the term sheet, Eric Wolford’s original buyout has not changed. The offensive line coach would owe UK $500,000 for each year remaining on his contract if he leaves Lexington for another coaching job again. This new amendment was signed on an unspecified day in March.

Kentucky now has four assistant coaches under contract for more than one season: Wolford, Bush Hamdan, Vince Marrow, and L’Damian Washington. Every other assistant contract expires at the end of the 2026 season. Stoops is signed through the 2031 season. The long-time head coach made $9 million in 2024.

Kentucky coaching salaries in 2025