When the news this evening started making it sound like Stoops was leaving for A&M, I'll admit, I started thinking back to our miserable past. I was worried about returning to the days of 2 and 3 win seasons. While 7-5 isn't great, it sure as hell beats 4-8, 3-9 or 2-10. Stoops and the staff that he has put together here offers us a unique chance to attract good enough recruits to at least be a mid-level SEC program most years. During the Joker era, who would have ever thought UK would someday soon put together a couple of 10 win seasons? We've finally had a taste of some success and like how it feels. Now we want more. More may or may not be something we can achieve because of Kentucky's built-in limitations, such as our poor recruiting base, smaller NIL money pool and the fact that we simply aren't going to out-recruit Georgia, Alabama and other top SEC programs to move beyond the mid-tier. So I was honestly a little relieved when the Stoops to A&M deal fell through. As much as he drives me insane at times with his conservative approach, Mark Stoops is probably about the best UK can do. If 8-4 is our ceiling, then I'll take that over being the complete bottom dwelling basement critter we were before Stoops.
OTOH, the way this has all played out has left a bad taste in my mouth. It seems Stoops very much wanted to take this job until a revolt by Texas A&M fans and boosters ended any hope of that. So now are we are kind of stuck with a coach who doesn't really want to be here. Is this a healthy situation for Stoops, the players, the staff or the fans? It is a proven fact that people who are enthusiastic about their jobs work harder. Now that he has been shunned by what would have been his way out, will he remain motivated? Or will he become bitter? Will this situation create fractures in his relationship with the players, other staff members, the administration or boosters?
As the title states, I am having lots of mixed feelings. A part of me is glad Stoops is staying. But another part of me is now disappointed that we are stuck with a coach who would probably prefer to be somewhere else. Did we dodge a bullet by Stoops staying? Or has the situation set into motion events that will only serve to create division, toxicity and more problems moving forward? I'm just not sure which direction this tree will fall. But I can't imagine there won't be some negative repercussions as a result of this.
OTOH, the way this has all played out has left a bad taste in my mouth. It seems Stoops very much wanted to take this job until a revolt by Texas A&M fans and boosters ended any hope of that. So now are we are kind of stuck with a coach who doesn't really want to be here. Is this a healthy situation for Stoops, the players, the staff or the fans? It is a proven fact that people who are enthusiastic about their jobs work harder. Now that he has been shunned by what would have been his way out, will he remain motivated? Or will he become bitter? Will this situation create fractures in his relationship with the players, other staff members, the administration or boosters?
As the title states, I am having lots of mixed feelings. A part of me is glad Stoops is staying. But another part of me is now disappointed that we are stuck with a coach who would probably prefer to be somewhere else. Did we dodge a bullet by Stoops staying? Or has the situation set into motion events that will only serve to create division, toxicity and more problems moving forward? I'm just not sure which direction this tree will fall. But I can't imagine there won't be some negative repercussions as a result of this.
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