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How do you know how to even start evaluating how a team does in the transfer portal?
Kentucky thought it had a banner year in the transfer portal last season and then went 4-8. Now Kentucky has had about 20 players on the 2023 team enter the portal and could find itself bringing in 15 or more transfers for 2025.
Almost 4,000 college football players entered the transfer portal last year, including 41 from Colorado. Alabama, Indiana and Michigan State lost 39 players while South Carolina lost 20. Of course, Colorado, Indiana and South Carolina all had successful 2024 seasons after losing all those players.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said the transfer portal has complicated recruiting because there is not a lot of development time because players not starting will leave the program.
“Hey, back in the old days we really developed and you’re on track and you’re going to be a really good player. Sometimes they just want to go play right now,” Stoops said. “Guys that are in our development phase but want to go be ‘the guy’ somewhere, that’s their decision. In the changing landscape, we’re totally okay with that.
“Continuity is very important, but in today’s world, you got to do the best you can year to year. Let’s be honest, we didn’t have a very good year so I’m pretty excited about change. We need some positive change.”
Stoops said there will not be a team in the country that does not lose at least a few players. However, he said there are so many players in the portal and Kentucky has already been busy lining up visits for numerous players.
“My concentration has been the quality, the really good people, really good players in our program. We know we need to build that foundation with them and then branch out from there,” Stoops said.
12 Responses
We lost every supposedly good player didn’t we? I mean Dane Key was our best receiver! Brown was probably the second best! Dingle and Anderson was probably the best 2 tight ends! So who did we keep that was a starter who actually had a good year??? Nobody! We lost our entire starting defense except maybe 2-3 guys. We lost our whole starting offense! Maybe this a good thing in disguise. Because like Larry pointed out teams like Indiana Colorado and South Carolina lost a ton of guys and they all had very good seasons! Maybe we need a culture change! Maybe Stoops needs to recruit some white boys and not just on the offensive line! If you look at the good teams in the NFL and college. They usually have a couple of white boys on defense. Usually defensive ends or linebackers. Then grab a couple more to play wide receiver! All brains isn’t good also all Brawn isn’t good either! You need a good mixture of both! As you can see from the last 3 years it seems like our players do the most ignorant stuff you can do but I think this would help!
Did you actually just say that we need to recruit people according to the color of their skin?!
If Coach Stoops can’t pivot as well as his competitors he’s toast. Next year will seal his fate -good OR bad.
Stoops sealed his fate when his OC revolving door eventually led to a 3 year collapse of offense and that also led to the D failing this season.
Stoops whines about the portal, NIL and whatever excuse he can give.
Stoops has lost the players and never hand many Assiatant coaches worth losing.
Without the impressive recruiting led by Marrow, UK would be even worse!
Number 1. Stoops isn’t going to be fired.
Number 2. Kentucky wants you to believe they are the only team in this situation.
Number 3. The SEC isn’t going to wait for Kentucky to catch up.
Number 4. If they don’t improve and want to keep Stoops, join the MAC.
Exactly right.
UK AD & everyone with authority above him sold out to Barnie & buried their collective heads in the sand regarding Stoops, just like they did every time Barnie gave away millions to the fraud, the former Women’s BB coach, TLT, in a dumb costly contract, often done secretly!
Where is the Board hiding with all this wasted millions!!!
I could be wrong Little Baron, But I think The board does the approval for all the contracts that Mitch offer.
I agree that it SHOULD be that way, but the TLT SECRET contract extension and the SECRET life-time contract filled with GIFT money to the FRAUD must have been done without approval. That is cause for serious consideration to terminate AND hold him accountable for millions even if a lawsuit is needed to collect.
Number 5. KY is not going to join the MAC. The money is too good in the SEC.
Of course, or it would have joined the ACC ?who used to be the premier BB league) decades ago when the SEC was only a FB conference (except for UK) and UK lined the cellar with disgusting records year after year.
UK will struggle to win more than 3 cupcake games in 2025 and may even lose one of those of Stoops is still getting paid mega-millions to roam the sidelines with the title HC.
4-8 reminds UK of chjoker
Unfortunately Stoops has joined that list because he did NOT place UK FIRST in many of his assistant coach hiring decisions and obviously in not stepping away from interfering with OC’s.
Just read where Marshall had to bail out of the bowl game with Army because so many players entered the portal and left Marshall with not enough players to play.
Seems to me that since Bowls are a huge revenue source and that actions (or non-action) by the NCAA to prevent wholesale player transfers prior to a bowl creates a significant harm to Marshall and would be grounds for suite against the NCAA.
Might as well put those lawyers on retainer to work.