Mark Stoops with former UK offensive lineman Kenneth Horsey. (X Photo)
By LARRY VAUGHT
Thirteen years ago Mark Stoops took over as the Kentucky head football coach hoping to rejuvenate a program that had lost belief during the a 2-10 season in 2012 under Joker Phillips.
It took time, but Stoops delivered. He had the school’s first 10-win season since 1977 in 2018 and repeated that feat again in 2021. He took UK to eight straight bowl games, something I never thought would happen, and two top-25 finishes.
He raised the expectations for fans to a level that UK football had never experienced. However, UK went 4-8 and 5-7 the last two years, including the 41-0 debacle at Louisville on Saturday that officially ended Stoops’ 13-year UK career with a 72-80 mark when he was fired Monday.
While fans had been clamoring for Stoops’ departure — which was made easier when he agreed to take his $37 million buyout over four years instead of within 60 days as dictated by his contract — the reaction on social media after Stoops’ firing was full of praise for the former UK coach.
“Sometimes, it’s just time. But I hope #BBN fully appreciates what he did with that football program. 8 straight bowls. Real SEC relevance. Ask Calipari if Stoops at least challenged the ‘basketball school’ mentality of UK,” ESPN’s Dari Nowkhah posted. “Great man, great job at Kentucky. Pleasure to get to cover Mark Stoops on SEC Network.”
Former UK linebacker Kash Daniel of Paintsville was a big part of Kentucky’s turnaround under Stoops.
“You gave me the opportunity to play for my home state, and it was the greatest honor of my life. Creating memories and friendships that I’ll never forget. Thank you for everything, Coach,” Daniel posted.
Tod Lanter was a walk-on player on the UK basketball team and remembers Stoops coming by practice after he got the Kentucky job.
“Coach Stoops came by practice when he first accepted the job. Cal (John Calipari) asked him to speak to us, and as a football fan, I remember leaving the meeting room thinking we finally got our culture-changer. And man, it was a blast to watch. Thank you, Coach. It was an awesome ride,” Lanter said on X.
Rivals.com’s Justin Rowland had an interesting take on Stoops after working closely with him and his staff, especially with recruiting news.
“Stoops has a lot of life left to live and is going to be very popular in Lexington. He and (former coach) Rich Brooks will be legends there. Time rehabilitates people who did a lot less than he did,” Rowland posted.
Former UK offensive lineman Kenneth Horsey signed with Kentucky and then found out he need heart surgery before reporting to Lexington where he became a fixture in the offensive line and was on a 10-win team in 2021.
“When my family and I had to call the staff to tell them I needed heart surgery you never wavered. I can never thank you enough for that. You poured into me and allowed me to grow and come back stronger. The rest is history. I’ll always love and respect @UKCoachStoops,” Horsey said on X.
Former UK defensive lineman Jeremy Jarmon noted that Stoops took over a program where “hope was the size of a mustard seed” and proved UK football could be more.
“He provided proof that the right charismatic coach with a strategy, access to resources, and a strong competent staff, could give UK football an opportunity to reach heights unfamiliar to a traditional underdog. The energy he and his staff brought in 2013 was a shock to the system, a promise that resonated through the years, building steadily until it peaked into the roar of two ten-win seasons. He made us relevant,” Jarmon posted.
“For so many of us, his teams gave us unforgettable Saturdays that turned into lifelong memories. Personally, at the peak of that belief, I trusted in his program so completely that I scheduled a night wedding, on a game-day, vs UofL, knowing the day would start and end with joy. That’s the kind of faith he inspired.
“More than that, he made former players and their families feel special and valued, reconnecting the program to its heart and soul — The Letter Winners.
“It wasn’t supposed to end this way. The recent struggles don’t erase the architecture he built. The foundation is still here: a gold-standard league, motivated supporters, strong facilities, and a fan base that now knows what relevance tastes like.
“So, let’s be clear: I would throw my support behind a 2013 Mark Stoops hire again and again. Without hesitation.
“Thank you, Coach Stoops, for pouring your heart into our program. Thank you for the memories. You showed us what was possible. That is your legacy.”
And that’s a legacy no other UK football coach in recent history can come close to matching and one that still deserves to be appreciated despite the team’s record the last two years.
5 Responses
Thanks for the article.
I believe Stoops is a good man. When two of the worst things people can say about you is that you are "loyal to a fault" and "You believe in yourself and your ideas too strongly" you are not in a really bad position and your impact on others has been profound.
I have truly enjoyed watching UK Football under Stoops and we have had some great victories and he broke the idea that you cannot win at UK.
I believe the biggest hit taken by Stoops that he could never overcome was the loss of John Schlarman. Schlarman was the OL Coach that made everything work that Stoops wanted to do. He seemed to be the glue for the entire team. There are just some people that cannot be replaced by others.
Lastly, I am very glad that Stoops was open to allowing his buyout to be spread out over several years. He did not have to do that and honestly, I was not expecting that. Glad I was wrong. Stoops is now leaving UK in a much better place than how he found it. That is a legacy on it's own.
Stoops led UK from ashes to a couple of 10 win seasons, in a position to become one of the elite teams in the league. That pinnacle for UK FB raised the standard and the standard set by Stoops became the challenge he could not maintain.
Unfortunately, the OC revolving door became a major reason UK FB began to decline 5 years ago and then bottomed out the past 2 seasons.
I believe that Liam Coen could have saved Stoops’ job as well as lead UK to the upper tier of the SEC. Perhaps the temptation to insist on Stoops’ style of play wqs the reason OC turnovers kept UK from developing offensive players, especially QB’s to their maximum potential.
Thanks to Stoops for accepting a 4-year span to get paid the buyout money.
In order to restore UK FB into a competitive program, a sweep of some assistant coaches is essential – beginning with the OC.
It’s great to see another offensive minded pioneer take the lead over UK FB, just as Hal Mummie led UK to an eventual major Bowl game!
Welcome, Will Stein. Unleash the potential in Cutter Boyer and the entire offense so the D can get adequate rest for a much needed strong defense!
No doubt about it, Stoops took Kentucky to the next level becoming it's winningest coach. Then the game changed. NIL and the transfer portal became realities…Stoops struggled to embrace both. The SEC added Texas and Oklahoma and dropped division play. Stoops had 2 more blueblood teams to compete with and struggled to do so. Then the SEC mandates a 9 game SEC + 1 ACC team schedule. That only leaves 2 cupcake games and it was doubtful that Stops would ever have Kentucky bowl eligible again. The game had passed Stoops by and instead of retiring, Stoops demanded to be fired and take $37 million with him as a parting gift. After getting the program out of the ditch, Stoops ended his time in Lexington with the program stuck in the ditch again. I wish Coach Stoops the best and hope Coach Stein understands the shitstorm that he has jumped into.
Coach Stoops will land somewhere. If not, I wish him well. He has no doubt missed enough children's events that he owes them and lot of attention. You're set for life financially, enjoy your family and that comes from someone who wishes he had done it sooner.
The transfer portal ruined Stoops. He was used to recruit and develop and times have changed. If you want to build around players you have to play them now. You can't sell them dreams about the future. I think it would be cool if they gave Stoops the GM position at Kentucky. Or whatever position Eddie Gran had he would be good to keep around. If he could come back to earth and lower his standards a little he could be a great defensive coordinator. I would actually take him as our defensive coordinator as well. He would never go from coach to coordinator. He has a giant ego. The only problem I have with Stoops is he should have seen the writing on the wall sooner. He still created a legacy here at Kentucky setting records in 9straight bowl games and two ,10 win seasons in 4 years. From 2018-2022 was the pinnacle for Stoops. If he would have found a better job he would have left.He wasn't going to quit even if it was best for the team. I appreciate what Stoops did for Kentucky football. He took us to heights rarely seen at Kentucky. He also set a standard that it's a bowl game or better. We used to be happy with 4-5 wins and a upset or 2. Then stoops came anf upgraded everything. He still went out on top. It was his time to go. We need new blood. New schemes. Weve used the same schemes in the same conference for 13 seasons. All the coaches figured out how to beat Stoops. Put pressure on the QB and throw it over top of the zone. Instead of changing schemes he stuck with the same defense and offensr And didn't want to change with the times. 4-5 straight years of bad offensive line play and a bad secondary cost him his job. He should have fired Bush Hamden after last year no matter the payout. This is what happens when you hang on to the wrong people. Also Wolford is trash. Washington the receivers coach is garbage too. Brad White was starting to get easy to beat as well. Marrow seen this happen before it happened.