Vegas has Stoops …

[bballcat4]

As 4th highest odds to replace Harbaugh at Michigan if they have a coaching change.

Some fans think they are smarter than Vegas and national football insiders who know and analyze football. The crowd that thinks Stoops is mediocre and should be fired have NO grasp of college football … and more specifically no grasp of what Stoops has accomplished at UK.

I’m not saying he, or any coach, is perfect or should not be criticized. His greatest accomplishment may be that after having two 10 win seasons in the last 5 years, defeating Fla 3 straight years, defeating SC seven out of last nine years, etc … that some fans want to fire him. This is same UK that football experts called “a grave yard for football coaches.”

No, I do not want to settle for 6-7 wins a year. But Stoops is the person responsible for raising expectations. We threw parties and named babies after coaches who won 6-7 games before Stoops’ arrival. Anyone who expected a steady and linear climb doesn’t grasp the reality of SEC football.

Mark it down, if Stoops leaves this year for another school we will be chasing Vandy for 13th place in SEC! It will set UK football back 5 years.

 

[Rockfly78]

Well said. I know it’s a weird thing to say, but we are in the middle of the golden age of Kentucky football. That actually made me uncomfortable to say. But it’s true. We aren’t making a change willfully and we should not. At least not anytime soon. We all know what we want to build here but it may still be a decade away, if ever. But there’s no magic pill that will turn the state of Kentucky into a football hotbed. This state produces only a handful D1 prospects a year and a lot of our high schools programs don’t even have turf fields or heat in the locker rooms.

 

[ukfan1622]

Any single fan is as likely to be an idiot as not but the collective fan opinion is not meaningless. When UK hired Curry the experts thought it was a home run but the fanbase that knew Curry best, the Alabama fans, were elated at UK's good luck. The 'bama fans were right; he was a coach that needed a tremendous amount of talent for his system to work, kind of like what we have now.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

No one wants Stoops fired. Give me a break.

And Stoops is always like the 3rd or 4th or 5th choice for these openings supposedly but never is offered.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

No one wants Stoops fired. Give me a break

You must've been absent from the board the last few weeks.

 

[bballcat4]

No one wants Stoops fired. Give me a break.

Logic would say you are correct. However, social media sites and Ky sports boards have been full of people calling for Stoops to be fired, or claiming Stoops’ supporters are happy with mediocrity.

These posters are a loud minority that are nowhere to be found when we win. But, they slither out from their hiding places and make a lot of noise when we lose.

I get that some people are emotional. Yet, the lack of their logic amazes me.

 

[azubuikefan]

No one wants Stoops fired. Give me a break.

And Stoops is always like the 3rd or 4th or 5th choice for these openings supposedly but never is offered.

First time on this board?

 

[Rockfly78]

No one wants Stoops fired. Give me a break.

And Stoops is always like the 3rd or 4th or 5th choice for these openings supposedly but never is offered.

No one that matters wants it. But this is a fan message board, so you see it a lot here

 

[Bluesbrother]

As 4th highest odds to replace Harbaugh at Michigan if they have a coaching change.

Some fans think they are smarter than Vegas and national football insiders who know and analyze football. The crowd that thinks Stoops is mediocre and should be fired have NO grasp of college football … and more specifically no grasp of what Stoops has accomplished at UK.

I’m not saying he, or any coach, is perfect or should not be criticized. His greatest accomplishment may be that after having two 10 win seasons in the last 5 years, defeating Fla 3 straight years, defeating SC seven out of last nine years, etc … that some fans want to fire him. This is same UK that football experts called “a grave yard for football coaches.”

No, I do not want to settle for 6-7 wins a year. But Stoops is the person responsible for raising expectations. We threw parties and named babies after coaches who won 6-7 games before Stoops’ arrival. Anyone who expected a steady and linear climb doesn’t grasp the reality of SEC football.

Mark it down, if Stoops leaves this year for another school we will be chasing Vandy for 13th place in SEC! It will set UK football back 5 years.

I just don't buy any of your rationale b/c it seems to be that you choose to believe what someone else tells you to believe. Vegas oddsmakers deal in probabilities based on chance. Building a football program isn't a product of chance. If we're going to sit around and listen to others and choose to believe it, we might as well just fold tents. I just can't stand this type of mentality because all it has ever produced is a level of mediocrity that expects the fans to consider our past, believe it can never change and be thankful that we should never expect to be any better. Everything in life starts with ATTITUDE ... an attitude of excellence and expectation of excellence, hard work and belief. Our AD doesn't seem to believe that UK can ever be anything greater than what you see today but as a part of our fanbase, I believe that with the right personnel in place, UK can achieve anything they want. This type of thinking will ensure our mediocrity for years to come and is wrong on every level, IMO. I just won't accept it and see it as a losing mentality. Mark Stoop is no one to celebrate because all he does is give life to the old stereotype that UK is a coaching graveyard. Stoops is a coordinator, at best, and is way in over his head. Just my opinion.

 

[gojvc]

Our AD doesn't seem to believe that UK can ever be anything greater than what you see today…….

Based on what? That he’s not threatening to fire a coach only two years removed from his second 10-win season in five years?

 

[sluggercatfan]

No one wants Stoops fired. Give me a break.

And Stoops is always like the 3rd or 4th or 5th choice for these openings supposedly but never is offered.

Damn well guarantee he'll making a hell of lot less if he were to go to Michigan. Not going anywhere.

 

[bballcat4]

Mark Stoop is no one to celebrate because all he does is give life to the old stereotype that UK is a coaching graveyard.

Stoops is the exact opposite of the stereotype. He’s proven football experts wrong about being able to win at Ky!!!

If you believe two 10 win seasons are mediocre then every team in P5 (minus Ga, Ala, Ohio State, and 2-3 more) are mediocre.

I hate losing to UT!!! However, logic and history tells me that NO team has a linear climb to the top.

Only 12 teams have won championships since 2000. Six of those teams are from SEC. OU and Tx come into conference next year making it 8 out of 12. Think about that stat for a minute! National championships are not spread out among many teams (unlike basketball) but 8 out of 12 are (will be) in SEC. Any team that doesn’t have a history of winning (which is our history) has to climb over teams rich in history and in states loaded with both hs talent and huge NIL boosters. That climb will be slow and rocky!

I’m not saying it can’t be accomplished. Yet, I don’t put on blue tinted glasses and think blind optimism that blinds a few people to the realistic obstacles solves anything.

Happy with 6-7 wins every season is settling for mediocrity. Acknowledging that solutions to our football obstacles will include frustrations is logical.

Slamming Stoops at this point of the journey doesn’t make any sense. He’s the only coach in 50 years that has proven UK can win double digit games a year. Then, he backed it up and proved the first time wasn’t just a fluke. Yeah … let’s burn bridges with that kind of coach!

 

[The-Hack]

The 'bama fans were right; he was a coach that needed a tremendous amount of talent for his system to work, kind of like what we have now.

To juxtapose Curry, who never had a winning season at Kentucky, with Kentucky’s winningest Coach is a stretch of either self-imposed ignorance or intentional misrepresentation!

Stoops has defeated 3 ranked teams in the Gator and Citrus Bowls the last five years.

“A tremendous amount of talent for his system to work?”

What??

When Kentucky defeated Penn State we had 18 former 4 and 5 Star recruits and Penn State had 45.

We are trending 6th among SEC schools for total victories since 2016, but our recruiting average has been tenth in the conference in that time period.

Stoops has defeated more Top 25 ranked schools in the last ten seasons than we had defeated in the 35 seasons prior to his arrival.

Stoops has defeated 12 ranked teams since 2013. Frank Beamer on his path to the College Hall of Fame defeated 11 ranked teams his first 11 seasons. Beamer was 2-4 in Bowls, Stoops 4-2. Beamer totaled 68 victories; Stoops 72.

The “collective fan opinion is not meaningless?”

That collective opinion is expressed with repeated sellout crowds including our first sellout in program history against an FCS oppnent, EKU in 2023.

Do you remember those annual “military appreciation games,” where thousands of tickets were given away for a game each year, for the last 20 years?

We still love our military, but don’t have 7,500 tickets to give away even when we face an FCS opponent.

 

[The-Hack]

Just my opinion.

And a stunningly misinformed one.

His eleven seasons at Kentucky have seen more wins, more wins over ranked teams, and more bowl victories than Hall of Fame Coach Frank Beamer’s first 11 seasons at Virginia Tech.

Coach Stoops has more victories over ranked teams than the combined total of his six immediate predecessors the 35 seasons prior to 2013.

Intentional ignorance or misrepresentation of reality is a true losers mentality!!

 

[Big Cat fan]

They can have him. Please take him.

 

[Supafuzz75]

Meeh.. Be a happy bunch when UK rolls into the Yum! 5-6 in 4 weeks..

 

[Wildcats1st]

As 4th highest odds to replace Harbaugh at Michigan if they have a coaching change.

Some fans think they are smarter than Vegas and national football insiders who know and analyze football. The crowd that thinks Stoops is mediocre and should be fired have NO grasp of college football … and more specifically no grasp of what Stoops has accomplished at UK.

I’m not saying he, or any coach, is perfect or should not be criticized. His greatest accomplishment may be that after having two 10 win seasons in the last 5 years, defeating Fla 3 straight years, defeating SC seven out of last nine years, etc … that some fans want to fire him. This is same UK that football experts called “a grave yard for football coaches.”

No, I do not want to settle for 6-7 wins a year. But Stoops is the person responsible for raising expectations. We threw parties and named babies after coaches who won 6-7 games before Stoops’ arrival. Anyone who expected a steady and linear climb doesn’t grasp the reality of SEC football.

Mark it down, if Stoops leaves this year for another school we will be chasing Vandy for 13th place in SEC! It will set UK football back 5 years.

There’s a spot there between mediocre and should be fired. There’s no justification to fire stoops. But he is a slightly above average coach. That’s it. He’s not gonna get us to a NY6 bowl. He’s not winning the sec east. For the second time since stoops has been at uk UL is trending toward a ny6 berth. No stoops shouldn’t be fired nor should he have received the extensions he has and this fat contract. If another team wanted to hire him Barney should have let him go bc he’s not the 8th best coach in America.

 

[grevey35]

Any single fan is as likely to be an idiot as not but the collective fan opinion is not meaningless. When UK hired Curry the experts thought it was a home run but the fanbase that knew Curry best, the Alabama fans, were elated at UK's good luck. The 'bama fans were right; he was a coach that needed a tremendous amount of talent for his system to work, kind of like what we have now.

That last line is just stupid.

 

[ncaaky]

Michigan is not going to hire a coach with ONE regular season win against a team that finished ranked in the last 7 years.

 

[FirewithFire]

Guess what. Stoops makes more than Harbaugh and doesn't have to win jack shit to keep his job. He isn't going anywhere,

 

[Blue Bigfoot]

I think the Big ten would definitely be a better fit for Stoops football philosophy. That being said no one is going to pay him more than he is making here. He's not the hot commodity some here would like to believe.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Meeh.. Be a happy bunch when UK rolls into the Yum! 5-6 in 4 weeks..

The Yum? Really

 

[NavyCat88]

Hmmm...imagine AD embarking on a new FB head coaching hire. With that in mind, I'll stick with CMS.

GBB!

 

[Rivals_Defender]

I hope Stoops does leave...maybe when we go back to having 2-10 seasons, you all will be happy...I take that back...you all will never be happy.

I wouldn't blame him if he did leave, no one appreciates him for the job he has done here. He has done things the right way. But nothing will EVER be good enough.

 

[JC-3]

And a stunningly misinformed one.

His eleven seasons at Kentucky have seen more wins, more wins over ranked teams, and more bowl victories than Hall of Fame Coach Frank Beamer’s first 11 seasons at Virginia Tech.

Coach Stoops has more victories over ranked teams than the combined total of his six immediate predecessors the 35 seasons prior to 2013.

Intentional ignorance or misrepresentation of reality is a true losers mentality!!

This is the correct answer!

 

[Jont0805]

I absolutely love stoops and anyone who would want him gone is completely crazy in my opinion.

Stoops will leave eventually, that doesn’t mean kentucky will be out back 5 years or 10 years or anything. What it will mean is that next hire is the most important hire in the football history.

Basketball can survive a Billy G and have a John Calipari instantly fix it. Football cannot.

I hope stoops stays here 10 more years and we go bowling every year, but the day he leaves may be the worst day in Kentucky football history if they screw up the hire.

For those thinking there is a magic coach out there that instantly gets UK to playoff contenders I hope you are right. A lifetime of watching UK football tells me the opposite is more likely.

 

[White Wolf]

Based on what? That he’s not threatening to fire a coach only two years removed from his second 10-win season in five years?

I'm an outsider, but if I can comment here, I would point out that coaches have been fired only 2 years removed from winning an NC, see Gene Chizik. Now granted, the expectations at Auburn are historically higher than at UK, but now that Stoops has taken UK to a level they haven't been at in decades, that means UK fan expectations have increased proportionately to that success. Fans are the same everywhere; improve a program and fans will expect continuous improvement. Take a small step back and a portion of the fanbase will turn on you. Same thing at UT with Heupel. A lot of fans are complaining because UT is not going to improve on a 10-2 regular season and get to the playoffs, despite the talent lost to the NFL from the 2022 team. And as already noted, that frustration is usually confined to message boards, and everyone has a right to their opinion, but ADs aren't going to pay attention to message board chatter as long as stadiums are being filled, and Kroger field was full and the crowd was loud last Saturday evening. That's what the AD cares about. (and yes, ADs care about winning, but as long as stadiums are still full on Saturdays, they are good because don't want the hassle of buyouts and coaching searches) I personally don't think Stoops is a great coach, but I think he is a very good coach who arrived at UK at the right time and has done wonders for UK football. If you are going to get rid of the guy, just be dang sure you already have someone else who wants the job that can take the job to a higher level.

 

[dvillecatfan]

Where they got Harbaugh going? Who they have replacing McDaniels? Harbaugh? 😃

 

[Rivals_Defender]

If you are going to get rid of the guy, just be dang sure you already have someone else who wants the job that can take the job to a higher level.

It is insanely Ludacris that fans want to get rid of Stoops! UK is NOT going to find anyone that can take it to the next level.

Nick Saban and Kirby Smart aren't walking through those doors...you can guarantee that!

 

[YaketySax]

I think Stoops would make the playoffs if he was Michigan's coach.

 

[Bluesbrother]

And a stunningly misinformed one.

His eleven seasons at Kentucky have seen more wins, more wins over ranked teams, and more bowl victories than Hall of Fame Coach Frank Beamer’s first 11 seasons at Virginia Tech.

Coach Stoops has more victories over ranked teams than the combined total of his six immediate predecessors the 35 seasons prior to 2013.

Intentional ignorance or misrepresentation of reality is a true losers mentality!!

... and that's your opinion. They differ, it's called conversation. Stoops has reached that glass ceiling and he's being paid as if he was a coaching god and we all know that's not the case. Yes, he's moved the needle but he's reached the zenith of his trajectory, IMO. Again, just an opinion. Stoops is mediocre and our AD acts as though he's a coaching legend ... he's not.

 

[blubo]

Given the fact that stoops now has eleven(?) years experience as a head coach in the toughest conference in football, and all the recruiting advantages michigan has to offer, i think he could do very well there. but like someone else mentioned, the money he’s making now probably discourages many schools from seriously considering him.

 

[bballcat4]

I realize people who want Stoops fired, hired away, etc … are a small minority and social media gives platform (and volume) for any small group.

Here’s my big picture perspective of both Stoops and UK football.

1. Stoops - A coach who accomplishes what he has accomplished at UK cannot be a mediocre coach. It hasn’t been a flash in the pan single season, but consistently building a solid program.

2. UK Future - Most football people (national people) prior to Stoops said 7-8 wins was the ceiling at UK. That proverbial “glass ceiling” has been raised. But, Stoops’ accomplishments are the reason it’s raised.

Winning will not be a straight linear line with each season being better than the one before it. The SEC will have 8 out of 12 teams that have won championships since 2000. That’s not including UT who won in ‘98.

3. UK Football Salaries - UK will have to overpay a winning football coach to prevent them from leaving for greener pastures. That doesn’t bother me in the least because of TV revenue. It may bite us at some point in the future. But, I want to keep continuity.

Stoops is not perfect, but he convinced me he has both the plan and desire to lead UK to another level of football that UK has NOT enjoyed since the Bear roamed the sidelines 70 years ago.

I want to see what 3-4 years of Stoops, Coen, White, and Marrow can accomplish together!

 

[YaketySax]

Stoops has reached that glass ceiling and he's being paid as if he was a coaching god and we all know that's not the case.

I disagree. UK has to pay a premium to keep him in Lexington since his new contract in 2014. He's being paid what he is because that's his market price. He gets raises because schools with vacancies reach out to Jimmy Sexton, who tells Mitch, who in turn increases Stoops' salary and/or the assistant paypool and recruiting budget.

 

[SlobbyBoy7967]

I disagree. UK has to pay a premium to keep him in Lexington since his new contract in 2014. He's being paid what he is because that's his market price. He gets raises because schools with vacancies reach out to Jimmy Sexton, who tells Mitch, who in turn increases Stoops' salary and/or the assistant paypool and recruiting budget.

If you had any familiarity with how Jimmy played Mitch’s old bosses in knoxvillle for decades you’d recognize the game he’s played with us.

 

[Rivals_Defender]

For all those stuck on the whole "Stoops is paid too much" kick, is the money coming out of your pocket? Are you signing the checks?

 

[YaketySax]

If you had any familiarity with how Jimmy played Mitch’s old bosses in knoxvillle for decades you’d recognize the game he’s played with us.

He drives a hard bargain - no doubt - but he's not a magician conjuring millions dollar increases without credible attention from other schools. He's not that slick. He's an agent who is good at representing his clients, not a silver tongued devil.

 

[bballcat4]

If you had any familiarity with how Jimmy played Mitch’s old bosses in knoxvillle for decades you’d recognize the game he’s played with us.

I agree 110% that agents play ADs to leverage a good season into more $.

This doesn’t change the reality that UK will always have to overpay a coach to keep him. UK is not a historical destination job and a coach who wins at UK will be pursued by other schools. Nothing creates more short term harm to a program than having to change coaches.

Here are the questions ADs have to answer. “How much will it cost if the next coach fails and how long will it take a new coach to win?” ADs know it will cost them more than $2-3 mil a year if future coach doesn’t work out. Thus, it is better to overpay your current coach IF the program is in solid shape.

Yes, agents leverage this argument to get their clients more money.

 

[Jont0805]

... and that's your opinion. They differ, it's called conversation. Stoops has reached that glass ceiling and he's being paid as if he was a coaching god and we all know that's not the case. Yes, he's moved the needle but he's reached the zenith of his trajectory, IMO. Again, just an opinion. Stoops is mediocre and our AD acts as though he's a coaching legend ... he's not.

If your argument is that stoops is mediocre for a $9 million a year coach than sure u may have an argument.

The admission that stoops has moved the needle at Kentucky shows yes he is a Kentucky legend and will forever be remembered as such to lifetime UK football fans that have been through periods where we would be so happy for what is now considered a disappointing season.

I don’t know the solution for Kentucky though. You can’t get rid of your best coach ever other than the brief Bryant years, because you think he is overpaid and then what, pay Kirby smart $20 million a year?

It would prob take twice the salary to get an annual playoff caliber coach at Kentucky, even that is a stretch.

 

[Bluesbrother]

If your argument is that stoops is mediocre for a $9 million a year coach than sure u may have an argument.

The admission that stoops has moved the needle at Kentucky shows yes he is a Kentucky legend and will forever be remembered as such to lifetime UK football fans that have been through periods where we would be so happy for what is now considered a disappointing season.

I don’t know the solution for Kentucky though. You can’t get rid of your best coach ever other than the brief Bryant years, because you think he is overpaid and then what, pay Kirby smart $20 million a year?

It would prob take twice the salary to get an annual playoff caliber coach at Kentucky, even that is a stretch.

Twice the salary ... $18 million a year needed to get a proven coach to come to Kentucky. That seems to be the same opinion of UK that Barnhart had when he hired Stoops, who was unproven as a head coach. Barnharts attitude was he's the best we can do because no one wants to coach here. There's a reason for that losing attitude. Fix that first, even if it mean another AD. Everyone seems to be so ready to apologize for UK's sucking past. Sucking how? Facilities, budget, fanbase? I think not. It's nothing more than a stereotype and that's what truly sucks. Again, I think Stoops has proven that the UK needle can be moved ... my concern is whether he's the guy to move us to the next level. We shall see. I appreciate your thoughts.