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Kentucky coach Mark Stoops — as well as his staff — has been remarkably quiet since spring practice ended.
Some could say coming off a 4-8 season, what is there to say? Others might wonder after going 4-8 with what Stoops and his staff called the “deepest, most talented” roster the head coach has had at UK, does Stoops think this year might be even worse and that’s why he is not talking.
Recently, though, Stoops did an interview on the SEC Network with former Kentucky star Randall Cobb for a behind-the-scenes look at spring practice for the Cats.
Kentucky is coming off a disastrous 4-8 season, Stoops’ worst record since his first year at UK in 2013. The Cats lacked a consistent offense, were not nearly as physical as Stoops’ teams normally are and also had on-field discipline issues.
Season ticket sales are down and UK only has one verbal commitment in its 2026 recruiting class.
Stoops understood he had to reset the UK football culture this year and almost 50 percent of this year’s roster is new.
“I just feel like top to bottom, we built a better roster and have been very intentional about what we expect of them and leading them through,” Stoops told Cobb. “You know what our expectations are and what the standard is. We’re making sure we’re very hard on demanding that. You can do that when you have depth and you have other players.”
Stoops basically admitted there was too much hype on last year’s team including predictions of contending for a national championship playoff berth and players being drafted in the first round. That’s not going to happen again.
The UK coach said he was “very intentional” during spring practice about not praising specific players too much.
“When you’re awarding somebody something, the media or other people take it and run with it like, ‘this is our guy,’” Stoops said.
Not quite sure you blame the media or fans for listening to the praise UK coaches were throwing out there. Instead, Cobb told Stoops that “their ego gets big and they change.” To me, Cobb is saying players get complacent and don’t work as hard and that sure seemed to be the case at times last season.
“We brought in very good players, very experienced guys that are mature and fit our culture,” Stoops said on the SEC Network. “I feel like we have a much more solid roster. I like this team, I like coaching them.
“I’m having fun. Just hitting that reset button as far as what we expect of this program and what the coaches have to demand and the players have to do. Just going through that process has just been fun, it’s been a great challenge.”
Stoops admitted to Cobb he had taken pride in developing players. Now he said it is “free agency and it’s all transactional” which can disrupt team chemistry.
“We can’t get away from that — a good locker room is a good locker room. Sometimes it doesn’t meet that standard and it could be fractured and splintered very easily,” Stoops said. “We’re much more intentional and force-feeding that. Having the right guys helps that. That’s what gives me excitement about what we’re doing right now.”
Just explaining his thought process like this at least gives UK fans some insights into Stoops’ thinking about next season and why there has been so little said about individual players compared to past seasons.
4 Responses
I think what Stoops said is absolutely right. Predictions of a playoff berth last year and players being drafted in the first round or being there last year playing college football.destroyed our chemistry. Brown thought it would be his last year in college Key thought the same. Walker was already basically in the NFL as a first round pick and everyone played terrible. When you have everyone in your ear telling you all these things and your getting played players save there bodies for the next level they feel like they accomplished everything they can accomplish in college. Walker didn’t even look the same body wise he looked more fat and slow. Hairs ton sat out half the year for a ankle injury. Walker said his back was hurt all year every player says this when they play terrible. The linebackers were also hurt half.the time. Stoops.went out and got players who were hungry to compete in college. Guys who were all stars in a smaller league but can also go to the NFL if we have a good season. Which makes them work harder in the offseason. We have guys who are hungry and that want to prove themself that they are worthy to play in the sec. I think 6-6 is our floor and 8-4 is our ceiling. Bad thing is either one and I think we retain Stoops until he has anothwr losing season. The problem is I don’t think we will ever compete for a national championship with Stoops.as.the coach. We can go to ok bowl games but his style will never win a championship. He’s to conservative and that style he plays is very outdated. He tries to control the clock and we take forever to run plays. That gives the defense plenty of time to set up and be ready. You have to run a fast paced offense and spread the field. We bunch the field up into a small container that kills pur running game. We need 4 receivers running routes not 2. Our defense every team in the sec knows how to destroy our 3-4 zone defense the most boring defense ever. Never any sacks or turnovers just last teams throw in the seams of the zone or over top of the zone. I could beat mark Stoops with Vanderbilts team. I know exactly what hes going to do. Don’t you think coaches who are paid millions know exactly what he’s going to do by now?
Stoops must not have the mentality to comprehend any offense beyond “bunching up the players into a big pile in the middle” which, as you point out, stops the running game and shuts down the offense.
Boom was an awesome runner who was always a threat to break open a big run on the outside with his speed and savvy running but was called to run up the middle over and over where he got pounded by the big DL.
Nothing has changed with the non-offense mind of Stoops. 4-8 may be the ceiling for a few years until someone stands up and says enough is enough and fires the AD, HC, OL coach & any other other losers.
Til then, these can be considered the “throw back years” while UK reminds the BBN of the mega years of embarrassing cellar dwelling in the SEC.
UK BB has the right coach to recover UK BB to national prominence. He just needs to give those KY natives a real opportunity with minutes instead of trusting so many 1&gone transfers who do not have a heart of UK! Some do, but most don’t!
Over a decade of experience building a temporarily respectable program should prepare any HC to identify any rotten apples on a team or in a locker room. Forget about transfers and all the other excuses because every team is in the very same wild rudderless swamp produced over a long haul by the NCAA.
The very same players who did not perform together as a successful team in 2024 had some better years prior to 2024. Therefore any wise HC would do a thorough, in-depth, including interviewing multiple players and coaches, to identify the coaches who failed miserably and pushed UK into the cellar.
The OC and OL coaches should be replaced and instead will carry over their loser mentality & loser coaching methods.
Stoops needs to admit he had failed miserably in how he treats, mistreats, controls, frustrated and hires OC’s. The good ones are run off because of his control and the bad ones are happy to stay and get overpaid for poor performances!
Stoops SUCCEEDED!.
Then Stoops FAILED!
The BBN are turning their collective backs in the program because the FAILURE is not being properly addressed! More talk, just not about the players.- just excuses and pretend adjustments.
The locker room of winners was infested with some losers and the germs still remain.
$2,250,000 per win in 2024. Nice job AD!
Wonder if there is a Mark Pope equivalent for the FB team – maybe # 8 ??