There is Absolutely NO Reason Kentucky Cannot

[BigBlueCatNation]

Be good in football. Absolutely NONE. I've said this for years....

I hope Stoops can get this program BEYOND where we as fans think it can get and I think he can. There is no reason Kentucky can't have elite years every decade or so, none at all.

 

[JasonS.]

The biggest challenge for UK football has always been the lack of a good (by SEC standards, certainly) in-state recruiting base. The way this staff has aggressively worked around that issue is incredibly impressive.

 

[vhcat70]

The biggest challenge for UK football has always been the lack of a good (by SEC standards, certainly) in-state recruiting base.

I truly believe it's been more the Admin & culture of the powers that be. No reason otherwise a hire of Stoops' caliber, e.g., Schnellenberger, couldn't have been hired long ago.

 

[RR30]

The biggest challenge for UK football has always been the lack of a good (by SEC standards, certainly) in-state recruiting base. The way this staff has aggressively worked around that issue is incredibly impressive.

Stoops also came at a perfect time with the talent that has been in the state the last 5 years. Hatcher, Barker, Elam, Harris, Young, Jackson, Wills, etc are all very good talents.

 

[UKWinsAgainYep]

I truly believe it's been more the Admin & culture of the powers that be. No reason otherwise a hire of Stoops' caliber, e.g., Schnellenberger, couldn't have been hired long ago.

Agreed. The whole "recruiting base" excuse was always a poor excuse from UK fans who frankly don't know anything.

There are only so many spots on a football team. There is no reason at all a head coach couldn't recruit Ohio or surrounding states like Stoops has......It's just Stoops is a real head coach who knows how to recruit. Joker was a Joke. Rich Brooks had little motivation to go recruit hard.

All UK fans who have always cried about not having "as many recruits as other states have" are proving to be completely WRONG with that argument. Coach Stoops has totally turned that argument on its head.

The problem has always been people like CM Newton and Mitch Barnhart who never supported the football program. Coach Stoops is a miracle for UK because he came and sold himself. Mitch is too dumb and too poor of an AD to go out and hire someone like Stoops. Stoops came here and sold himself. Mitch did not go find him. Mitch has been just as bad as CM Newton for UK football. His hand was forced by we the fans and Coach Stoops who demanded better.

 

[PhattyJ4UK]

Agreed. The whole "recruiting base" excuse was always a poor excuse from UK fans who frankly don't know anything.

There are only so many spots on a football team. There is no reason at all a head coach couldn't recruit Ohio or surrounding states like Stoops has......It's just Stoops is a real head coach who knows how to recruit. Joker was a Joke. Rich Brooks had little motivation to go recruit hard.

All UK fans who have always cried about not having "as many recruits as other states have" are proving to be completely WRONG with that argument. Coach Stoops has totally turned that argument on its head.

The problem has always been people like CM Newton and Mitch Barnhart who never supported the football program. Coach Stoops is a miracle for UK because he came and sold himself. Mitch is too dumb and too poor of an AD to go out and hire someone like Stoops. Stoops came here and sold himself. Mitch did not go find him. Mitch has been just as bad as CM Newton for UK football. His hand was forced by we the fans and Coach Stoops who demanded better.

Agree and disagree..

I agree that the talent base in Kentucky has been used as an excuse with other coaches. Stoops is finding ways to work around this,

But I disagree that it's not a disadvantage. . It definitely is. You can't possibly believe that any program, not just Kentucky doesn't have a better shot with landing a recruit that was raised in it's own backyard. Especially if they grew up a fan of the program.

However, as stoops and co. Are proving there are ways to make up for that. It is still a disadvantage. Put other states talent in Kentucky and have a lot of them growing up with blue tinted glasses and you are immediately in a better position. Going out of state, you usually have to have a better sales pitch and play catch up. Luckily, we have a coachING staff that is capable of doing this.

 

[JasonS.]

Agreed. The whole "recruiting base" excuse was always a poor excuse from UK fans who frankly don't know anything.

I'd say it's a fact more than an excuse. Home-state demographics aren't insurmountable ... but it's a pretty significant disadvantage UK's always faced to a certain extent, but particularly since integration in 1967.

Takes some creativity. Louisville under Schenllenberger, Petrino and Strong became a borderline great football program raiding Florida talent. Now we're doing the same thing in Ohio ... and elsewhere.

 

[Get Bucket$]

I'd say it's a fact more than an excuse. Home-state demographics aren't insurmountable ... but it's a pretty significant disadvantage UK's always faced to a certain extent, but particularly since integration in 1967.

Takes some creativity. Louisville under Schenllenberger, Petrino and Strong became a borderline great football program raiding Florida talent. Now we're doing the same thing in Ohio ... and elsewhere.

Partial qualifiers and bush and brohm growing up in Louisville helped.

 

[JasonS.]

Partial qualifiers and bush and brohm growing up in Louisville helped.

Truth.

 

[Bigbluetrue]

Partial qualifiers and bush and brohm growing up in Louisville helped.

Absolutely correct. Louisville caught some lightning in a bottle when not one but two top 150 recruits (one a legacy) grew up in their backyard and were already fans of the program. Now it's our turn to get player's like Elam, Jackson and Daniel combined with FINALLY establishing an Ohio pipeline and surrounding states. The big difference is that we aren't relying on taking partial qualifiers and program rejects like UL.

 

[UKWinsAgainYep]

so what if Kentucky doesn't have as many high school players. Mark Stoops is proving everyone wrong by showing that does not prohibit UK from building a program like so many UK fans said. There are enough players around if you have a real coach who recruits hard.

Joker wouldn't even TRY to sign top recruits. Brooks wasn't much better.

Now, all of the sudden, we are signing big time players from other states and in-state. The only thing that changed: Coach Stoops entered the picture.

Barnhart and Newton were the cancers holding back UK football. That is the truth.

 

[Charger_Pride]

He hasn't proven anything yet and to say in state talent isn't key to any of the recruiting success is ignorant.

Anyone suggesting in state talent is only an excuse for struggling in the SEC has no idea about the make up of teams in the SEC and how much homegrown talent (lineman in particular) correlate with championship caliber programs.

 

[Deeeefense]

First recruiting is now done regionally by most teams, not on a state wide basis like it was a decade or two ago. Regionally Kentucky is in an ideal area. 70% of the population is within 500 miles of Lexington.

Second your can get all the talent you need to build an elite program by being a magnet school. Outstanding facilities, great fan base and talented extremely hard working coaching staff brings the talent to you from a fairly wide region. IOW Build it they will come. Oregon, Virginia Tech, Boise State and Nebraska are examples of teams that use that philosophy to build elite programs in poor recruiting geographical areas.

Finally we found a coach with a 21st Century vision of how to build a football program, saw the opportunity that was just sitting their untapped, and is now transforming Kentucky Football into it's full potential

 

[brianpoe]

so what if Kentucky doesn't have as many high school players. Mark Stoops is proving everyone wrong by showing that does not prohibit UK from building a program like so many UK fans said. There are enough players around if you have a real coach who recruits hard.

Joker wouldn't even TRY to sign top recruits. Brooks wasn't much better.

Now, all of the sudden, we are signing big time players from other states and in-state. The only thing that changed: Coach Stoops entered the picture.

Barnhart and Newton were the cancers holding back UK football. That is the truth.

First recruiting is now done regionally by most teams, not on a state wide basis like it was a decade or two ago. Regionally Kentucky is in an ideal area. 70% of the population is within 500 miles of Lexington.

Second your can get all the talent you need to build an elite program by being a magnet school. Outstanding facilities, great fan base and talented extremely hard working coaching staff brings the talent to you from a fairly wide region. IOW Build it they will come. Oregon, Virginia Tech, Boise State and Nebraska are examples of teams that use that philosophy to build elite programs in poor recruiting geographical areas.

Finally we found a coach with a 21st Century vision of how to build a football program, saw the opportunity that was just sitting their untapped, and is now transforming Kentucky Football into it's full potential

I don't necessarily disagree with the administration quotes nor the surrounding area population facts.

However, we are dead last on that chart compared with teams in our conference. And these teams get the cream of the crop from their state and then some.

It is a legit reason, but as Deeefense mentioned it is becoming less and less.

 

[SaguaroCat]

The in state recruiting is a good excuse for our history because back in the day that was most important. It's not like Stoops was the first Kentucky coach to ever go to Ohio. But he's been the first with good ties to the state at a time they are ready to come here. People forget that SEC dominance over the big ten of this magnitude is a fairly new phenomenon.

 

[*Bleedingblue*]

First recruiting is now done regionally by most teams, not on a state wide basis like it was a decade or two ago. Regionally Kentucky is in an ideal area. 70% of the population is within 500 miles of Lexington.

Second your can get all the talent you need to build an elite program by being a magnet school. Outstanding facilities, great fan base and talented extremely hard working coaching staff brings the talent to you from a fairly wide region. IOW Build it they will come. Oregon, Virginia Tech, Boise State and Nebraska are examples of teams that use that philosophy to build elite programs in poor recruiting geographical areas.

Finally we found a coach with a 21st Century vision of how to build a football program, saw the opportunity that was just sitting their untapped, and is now transforming Kentucky Football into it's full potential

Agree with everything you just said and would like to add to the fact that we are the most north eastern SEC school by a wide margin and can easily sell northern kids on playing in the SEC and not be far away from home. Not only Ohio but Penn, New Jersey, DC area, Maryland, etc have some outstanding talent in that area.

If you look at Bama's class now most of their recruits are not from the state of Alabama. They are going elsewhere to get good recruits and Ohio St is doing the same. We need to step up and slid in their and get those good recruits that Ohio St is looking over and sell the kids on how they are being passed over and give us a shot at making you an NFL caliber player.

We can also sell southern recruits on playing and practicing in much cooler weather than in the deep south. I'm sure their are a couple of guys who would like to play in temps that are not a real feel of 109.

 

[BobbyK49]

Be good in football. Absolutely NONE. I've said this for years....

I hope Stoops can get this program BEYOND where we as fans think it can get and I think he can. There is no reason Kentucky can't have elite years every decade or so, none at all.

I absolutely agree with you. I've never thought that it was realistic to expect any coach or AD to raise Kentucky to a Top 10 level program. The overall resources are simply not there. I do think, however, that Kentucky can become a Top 25 program, which means competing for an SEC East title every 4 or 5 years and then who knows, maybe once a decade or so have a team that catches fire and does something really special.

 

[irishcat1965]

I always wondered where the UK football program would have been today if Howard S. was hired after Curci was fired.

 

[Bigblueforever]

Be good in football. Absolutely NONE. I've said this for years....

I hope Stoops can get this program BEYOND where we as fans think it can get and I think he can. There is no reason Kentucky can't have elite years every decade or so, none at all.

Agree