Athletic director Josh Heird thanked Payne in a statement and wished him and his family well, saying Payne would always be a valued member of the Louisville family.
“When we brought Kenny home in 2022, no one had a stronger belief than me in his potential success," Heird said, “but it’s become clear that a change is needed to help this program achieve what is expected and attainable. While it is always difficult to make a coaching transition, this is the right one for our program.”
Payne, 57, is set to receive an $8 million buyout under terms of a six-year contract through 2028. That deal paid a base annual salary of $3.35 million plus incentives.
Louisville's eighth consecutive defeat capped an 8-24 season (3-17 ACC) that was expected to begin a climb back after going 4-28 last season. The loss total was a program record. Louisville’s January win at Miami was its lone ACC triumph in two seasons under the homegrown Payne, who scored 1,083 points from 1985-89 and won the 1986 NCAA national championship while playing under Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum.
Speculation now shifts to Payne’s successor, who is expected to be more experienced and with a higher profile than Payne. Possible candidates include Baylor’s Scott Drew, who guided the Bears to the national championship in 2021, Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May and Indiana State’s Josh Schertz.