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Almost as soon as Michigan State announced it was terminating suspended head football coach Mel Tucker on Monday the speculation started that among the leading candidates for the vacant job could be Kentucky’s Mark Stoops.
Tucker was fired after he was initially suspended without pay on Sept. 10 due to an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment. Secondary coach Harlon Barnett will work as the team’s interim coach for the remainder of the season but probably will not be a serious candidate to become the next head coach.
Remember that Tucker tried to lure Kentucky recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow to Michigan State in 2020 when he got the job. The Spartans went 11-2 in 2021 but had been 7-7 since then when Tucker was suspended and now terminated.
Stoops has built Kentucky into a proven winner and it figured his name would pop up on the Michigan State radar/speculation.
“Stoops is from Ohio and played his college ball at Iowa, so he’s familiar with life in the Big Ten. Kentucky is one of the SEC’s tougher jobs, but Stoops has guided the program to seven consecutive bowl games and posted two 10-win campaigns since ’18. Since taking over in ’13, Stoops is 68-59 as the program’s head coach,” wrote Steve Hassan of Athlon Sports when he listed Stoops as one of a possible seven Michigan State targets.
Kyle Austin of Live Media Group also had Stoops on a list of six potential hires and noted that he might have “hit the ceiling” for the Kentucky program.
“He has a pair of 10-win seasons since 2018 and has gone to seven straight bowl games while competing at a basketball school in the country’s toughest conference. His name often comes up around carousel season as folks wonder if he’s ready for a change of scenery,” Austin wrote.
“Stoops has recruited the state of Ohio well, which is critical to success at Michigan State. He knows what it’s like to compete in a tough conference. But whether Michigan State would be a big enough step up would be a question.”
The answer is no. Why leave Kentucky and his $9 million salary and a program he has built into one he feels is on the verge of competing with the very best in the SEC for a program that is now in disarray?
Kentucky got lucky when it persuaded Stoops, who was the Florida State defensive coordinator, to make UK his first head coaching gig. He went through some difficult rebuilding years but for the third straight year his team has started a season 3-0 and there’s no question UK has better depth than it ever has before.
Sure, the Spartans could throw a lot of money at Stoops. But he’s making plenty of money now and there’s just no way I could see him leaving the Bluegrass for Michigan State.
4 Responses
Michigan st institution has been reeling since the sexual abuse cases few years back. Why would he go to a school that’s got black eye all over it.
Stoops is not going to find a better job than the one he has now.
Michigan State would be a step down for Stoops. He is in the best conference in all of college football right now and has UK rising. I am offended when some talking head says UK is a basketball school and that maybe Stoops has hit a ceiling here at UK. He don’t know nothing about Kentucky football fans and just how much we love football in this state, and always have. Look at the Corbin win last Friday night, and hs football in this state now. That clown sounds like Calipari. I too would be surprised if Stoops would leave for such a gig as that.
Definitely punching down to take that job.. And that has alot to do with what Stoops has created here.