Kentucky will get Alabama in Lexington next fall. (Vicky Graff Photo)
The price of success is that a coach who wins consistently is going to have his name mentioned when other jobs are open.
That’s what is happening again with Kentucky coach Mark Stoops after two 10-win seasons in the last four years and four straight bowl games along with a 2-0 start this year after a win at then No. 12 Florida.
Stoops was one of the first names mentioned as soon as Nebraska fired coach Scott Frost. They basically paid Frost about $15 million to go away about 4 1/2 years after he was hired to be the savior of Nebraska football.
CBSSports.com analyst Dennis Dodd has Stoops as the No. 1 candidate for the Nebraska opening. Other national media members also had Stoops on their short list of potential candidates.
Stoops was asked about the Nebraska job on his weekly radio show Monday night.
“It’s been a great ride and we’ve had a lot of good coaches, a lot of good players,” Stoops said. “(The caller) was the first one that had to open Pandora’s box this year and start talking about another job.”
“I’m very content and very happy at the University of Kentucky. We have a lot more work to do here.”
A friend who I consider a “casual” UK football fan doesn’t think there is any way Stoops goes to Nebraska. Her reasons:
1. Too cold.
2. His bourbon company in Kentucky.
3. His mom is in Ohio and Nebraska is too far.
4. He really loves Kentucky.
I think she’s right. Stoops just became UK’s all-time winningest coach. Recruiting has never been better. Kentucky could be in line for another 10-win season — or maybe better depending on what happens at Ole Miss Oct. 1.
Also, Kentucky is a better job than Nebraska. Maybe it wasn’t 25 years. Maybe it wasn’t when Stoops got to Kentucky. But it is now. Stoops has rebuilt the Kentucky program to where it has the respect of everyone in the Southeastern Conference. Why go to Nebraska and start over again where recruiting is even more difficult?
Stoops got courted by LSU last year. He’s probably going to get courted by Nebraska now.
Maybe there are a few jobs he might consider leaving Kentucky to take, but Nebraska just is not one of them.
One Response
I doubt that Stoops will give that job very much thought. He is invested heavily with UK, with a hard decade of work, they are giving him any reasonable thing he requests, all time most wins at UK, he is treated really well here, he is in the SEC and his job security is as good as anyone can have at a solid Divsion 1 program. Why say no to LSU and then go to Nebraska, who does that?
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