Are you ready to move on from Stoops yet?

[AE82]

Some thoughts:

1. Heupel (and Fickell) are really good coaches. There are coaches out there that can win with lesser talent. There are also coaches out there that can't win regardless of their talent.

2. There is a strong correlation between recruiting success and on field success. There are outliers, just like in anything else, but generally speaking, there is a reason why Bama, UGA, OSU and Clemson have been mainstays in the CFP. Hell, even Ed Orgeron won a National Championship because he had talent.

3. What 4 star, besides Beau Allen, has transferred from that 2020 class or who has transferred from that class that has had success anywhere else?

4. We don't "still suck". We sucked this past weekend...bad. And that's unacceptable. Outside of the COVID year, we are 23-22 in the SEC over the past 7 seasons, including 5-3 last year. Do we need to make another step up in the program? yes. Do we suck? no

1: So, Mark Stoops meets the second category?

2: Those coaches all win because they are really good coaches. Give any of them our current roster, we are likely a 1 loss team right now. And that 1 loss wouldn't have been the ass-kicking it was.

3: Allen was a 3* per 247. I am not sure as I don't follow them, but the point is, they transferred out in droves. Not a lot of benefit of recruiting well if we don't keep them.

4: We are 1-3 in our last 4. We also looked like shit against N Ill. That's pretty sucky. We are 23-22 against nobodies. They were mostly all shitty SEC east teams, who were having down years.

 

[RipThru]

Of course not. Who are we gonna get that can do better? Is urban meyer gonna come coach here?

This is the worst take in all of sports. It's like staying with a cheating wife cause you think you can't do any better. Nobody knew if Stoops could coach either. On the other hand, they're not knocking down the door to steal him away either. he has taken us from bad to average but I have doubts that he can take the next step. UK is a much more attractive job now than it was 10 years ago.

 

[RipThru]

Levis is overrated and we are still probably gonna end up 8 and 4.

And still haven't beaten a good team.

 

[Kampus Korner]

There is no basis for Stoops to be fired. He’s been the most successful coach at UK since Bear Bryant. We have played musical chairs with head coaches for decades with no improvement in results until Stoops arrived. Why would any currently successful coach want come to Kentucky if Stoops is fired now after all he’s done? UK is still not a job attractive to big time coaches. Look how Florida and Auburn have struggled with new coaches over the last several years despite having a much better football tradition than UK. Stoops needs to stay. However, he obviously needs to assess whether his current OC and Oline coaches are worthy of retaining.

 

[thepip]

We are mediocre because our fans accept it. It really is the desire of fans at good programs to move on after it becomes evident the HC isn't getting it done. And Stoops isn't. He has plateaued, and apprears to be regressing. Considering NB just fired Frost, I would assume we will have to wait and see, right? Auburn has had some success over the past decade because they were willing to make changes. You seem to be of this belief we expect a new coach to be immediately successful. I think 2 or 3 seasons is adequate to demonstrate a positive change. Stoops has had 10.

I wish we would go for it! Unfortunately, I am not the dumbass, spineless Mitch Barnhart that can make those moves.

We have won meaningless bowl games that teams with as few as 5 wins can make. That's nothing to brag about. It's essentially like making the CBI tournament.

We have finished in the top15 once. We have never had dominance over a solid program. SC sucked, MO sucked, UL sucked and Vandy sucked. Having to label them as solid to inflate those wins is embarrassing.

You've said yourself we have never been in this position before, particularly with the spending on FB we have done the last decade, the fan support and having a foundation, so why and how would history tell you will we revert with a new coach?

Fans want the status and rank of a top program WITHOUT accountability. If Billy has not been a drunk would he still be here?

 

[HalHR2500]

His Mentality doesn’t allow anything beyond a 10-3 type season

And he will never beat the SEC Elite playing like a sissy

 

[AE82]

There is no basis for Stoops to be fired. He’s been the most successful coach at UK since Bear Bryant. We have played musical chairs with head coaches for decades with no improvement in results until Stoops arrived. Why would any currently successful coach want come to Kentucky if Stoops is fired now after all he’s done? UK is still not a job attractive to big time coaches. Look how Florida and Auburn have struggled with new coaches over the last several years despite having a much better football tradition than UK. Stoops needs to stay. However, he obviously needs to assess whether his current OC and Oline coaches are worthy of retaining.

We have to have the lowest standards for a football program I have ever seen, sans Vandy.

 

[bthaunert]

1: So, Mark Stoops meets the second category?

2: Those coaches all win because they are really good coaches. Give any of them our current roster, we are likely a 1 loss team right now. And that 1 loss wouldn't have been the ass-kicking it was.

3: Allen was a 3* per 247. I am not sure as I don't follow them, but the point is, they transferred out in droves. Not a lot of benefit of recruiting well if we don't keep them.

4: We are 1-3 in our last 4. We also looked like shit against N Ill. That's pretty sucky. We are 23-22 against nobodies. They were mostly all shitty SEC east teams, who were having down years.

1. I would say Stoops is a decent coach with decent talent that produces decent results.

2. They are all great coaches, but they also have great talent (obviously correlates too). Dabo was 29-19 in his first 4 years before upping his recruiting and winning at high rates. Outside of 2003 at LSU, Saban was 69-39 in his first 10 years between MSU and LSU. He's lost 26 games in 16 years at Bama and the talent has been much better there. But yes, those 4 guys are 4 of the best and could win at a high rate anywhere.

3. That 2020 class lost some guys, but very few of the big name guys we got. 10 of the 12 top guys we signed according to Rivals are still with the program. We lost BA and Torrance Davis, who doesn't even play football anymore I don't think.

4. This year has been disappointing, no doubt. Two bad losses to USC and UT. But I think you and I have a differing view of what "still suck" means.

I like Stoops. He's taken a huge step for this program from where it was in the 40 years prior, but I do agree with others that he might have reached his ceiling. You and I both know no AD, with a history like us and the success he's had here relative to prior coaches, is going to fire him. It's just not going to happen. But yes, I'd love to see what a big time coach could do here.

 

[AE82]

1. I would say Stoops is a decent coach with decent talent that produces decent results.

2. They are all great coaches, but they also have great talent (obviously correlates too). Dabo was 29-19 in his first 4 years before upping his recruiting and winning at high rates. Outside of 2003 at LSU, Saban was 69-39 in his first 10 years between MSU and LSU. He's lost 26 games in 16 years at Bama and the talent has been much better there. But yes, those 4 guys are 4 of the best and could win at a high rate anywhere.

3. That 2020 class lost some guys, but very few of the big name guys we got. 10 of the 12 top guys we signed according to Rivals are still with the program. We lost BA and Torrance Davis, who doesn't even play football anymore I don't think.

4. This year has been disappointing, no doubt. Two bad losses to USC and UT. But I think you and I have a differing view of what "still suck" means.

I like Stoops. He's taken a huge step for this program from where it was in the 40 years prior, but I do agree with others that he might have reached his ceiling. You and I both know no AD, with a history like us and the success he's had here relative to prior coaches, is going to fire him. It's just not going to happen. But yes, I'd love to see what a big time coach could do here.

I would say you have a very loose definition of decent.

Fickell had none and won at UC, very quickly as well. A good coach could take this team and win a lot more and in better fashion than Stoops and co. That's the type of coach we should ve going after. Particularly considering our recruiting is regressing.

They lost more than that. I think over half have left.

USC and Ole Miss were disappointing, but UT was absolutely embarrassing. The way we played N Ill was embarrassing as well. And it's not just this year. It's big game after big game that we just lay an egg. It's the disorganization, poor clock management, constant penalties from lack of discipline, never living up to their own hype, poor offense almost every year, not being bright enough to hire a Special teams coach and so on. This isn’t just about this year or a couple of things. The man has been here 10 years and we should be a lot further along with what we have invested.

Did you not watch the Brooks Tenure? We were ranked in the top 10 as well and went to multiple bowls. Hell, we beat the #1 in the country under him. Mark Stoops is not the savior you all have made him to be. He stayed 10 years and has won an avg of 6 games per year. Big whoop!

Our AD needs to be fired as well, and I can guarantee you, several AD's around the country who care a great deal about Football would have replaced Stoops long before now. 6 OC's in 10 years, 4 in 4 alone, would get most coaches fired. Not being smart enough to hire a Special teams coach would do it as well. Particularly after how bad our Special teams has been. We are in week 9 with the worst Special teams in football and still don't haven't gone out to get even an interem. Then you had in the fact both lines need new coaches. It's really more shocking Stoops still has a job.

In order to see a big name coach, we have to part with Stoops.

Honestly, when is is to the point for you that you make a change?

 

[Kampus Korner]

We have to have the lowest standards for a football program I have ever seen, sans Vandy.

AE82,

I don’t know how long you’ve been a UK fan so forgive me if you have heard this before as regards purportedly “low standards” for UK football success). As for me, I have been a “long suffering UK fan since I saw my first game in 1959. Blanton Collier was the coach at the time. Since Collier, UK has has had 9 coaches and Stoops is the first UK coach in 60 years to achieve a winning record during his coaching tenure.

UK is, for the first time in more than a half century, has a decent football program as compared to its inglorious past. Like you, I wish we were better. I don’t know why we are playing so poorly on offense this year but it seems most of the problem lies with our offensive line and/ or perhaps the new Oline and OC coaches. I don‘t know what the cause of our less than expected performance this season but I think Mark Stoops has earned the right and time to fix it, if not this season then next. I don’t believe we are accepting “low standards” by keeping Mark Stoops at the present time.

 

[AE82]

AE82,

I don’t know how long you’ve been a UK fan so forgive me if you have heard this before as regards purportedly “low standards” for UK football success). As for me, I have been a “long suffering UK fan since I saw my first game in 1959. Blanton Collier was the coach at the time. Since Collier, UK has has had 9 coaches and Stoops is the first UK coach in 60 years to achieve a winning record during his coaching tenure.

UK is, for the first time in more than a half century, has a decent football program as compared to its inglorious past. Like you, I wish we were better. I don’t know why we are playing so poorly on offense this year but it seems most of the problem lies with our offensive line and/ or perhaps the new Oline and OC coaches. I don‘t know what the cause of our less than expected performance this season but I think Mark Stoops has earned the right and time to fix it, if not this season then next. I don’t believe we are accepting “low standards” by keeping Mark Stoops at the present time.

We will be hiring our 6th OC in 10 seasons and 4th in 4 seasons when we replace Scangarello. How many chances and how long do we give Stoops to get this right? He didn't even bother to hire a special teams coach for goodness sake. And we all see how bad we are on special teams. How many passes does Stoops get?

 

[JBHolmesfan]

Love how some of our fans cling on to Stoops because they don’t think we will EVER find a better coach

This board crushed the Bengals for keeping Marvin Lewis for 15 years despite winning anything outside of the occasional AFC North. We’re not far from Stoops having a very similar tenure, but you’re out of line to question if we can improve as a program.

 

[Girthang]

I think he has done some positive things here, and I am honestly not just crapping on him

Lol. Yes. Yes you are.

Talking out of your...

, but

he just isn't cutting it in big games and disappoints more often than not. While the OC is awful, he is also our 5th OC in 10 seasons and all but 1 of them sucked, too. At a certain point, it's not the OC but the HC who is the problem. Our D obviously isn't that good either and that is supposed to be Stoops strength.

While he has been an improvement over Joker, we also went to a bowl game just 1 season before we fired Joker and hired Stoops. And it took Stoops 5 years to get us back there.

Lol. If ANYONE thinks Joker compares favorably enough to Stoops that he is used in the same sentence, they got no business commenting on what any coach has done here. Fkn Phillips wouldn't even pick up the phone to call a 4 or 5 star recruit. He was our fkn RECRUITING COORDINATOR and said "they won't come here."

Well no sht! If you don't call em, they sure as hell won't!

Stoops and Marrow not only picked up the phone, but went toe to toe with b1g and SEC schools to land 4 and 5 star kids. And some toddler wants to compare this staff to what JOKEr did? You gotta be high on meth

 

[AE82]

Lol. Yes. Yes you are.

Talking out of your...





Lol. If ANYONE thinks Joker compares favorably enough to Stoops that he is used in the same sentence, they got no business commenting on what any coach has done here. Fkn Phillips wouldn't even pick up the phone to call a 4 or 5 star recruit. He was our fkn RECRUITING COORDINATOR and said "they won't come here."

Well no sht! If you don't call em, they sure as hell won't!

Stoops and Marrow not only picked up the phone, but went toe to toe with b1g and SEC schools to land 4 and 5 star kids. And some toddler wants to compare this staff to what JOKEr did? You gotta be high on meth.

Lol, okay, bud!

 

[WildcatofNati]

Lol. Yes. Yes you are.

Talking out of your...





Lol. If ANYONE thinks Joker compares favorably enough to Stoops that he is used in the same sentence, they got no business commenting on what any coach has done here. Fkn Phillips wouldn't even pick up the phone to call a 4 or 5 star recruit. He was our fkn RECRUITING COORDINATOR and said "they won't come here."

Well no sht! If you don't call em, they sure as hell won't!

Stoops and Marrow not only picked up the phone, but went toe to toe with b1g and SEC schools to land 4 and 5 star kids. And some toddler wants to compare this staff to what JOKEr did? You gotta be high on meth

Aside from having the wrong conclusions, he also has some wrong statements.

Phillips was fired TWO years after making a bowl (I don't recall if the 2010 bowl game was technically played in 2011, but, it was for the 2010 season), not one, and the bowl year was a 6-6 record and a losing record.

Stoops took us to a bowl game in his FOURTH season, not fifth.

The mistakes may result from an assumption that Stoops started coaching prior to, and not subsequent to, the 2012 season. This incorrect thought would lead to both of his errors.

 

[Girthang]

Why the f do you jokers think we have lost some OCs? One got us to 10 wins and went to the fkn NFL. One got his own HC gig. One salvaged a season with a WR. Same one got us to 10 wins. We LOSE coaches mostly because they are GOOD coaches.

Lost 3 primary recruiters in 2-3 seasons. Will likely lose another after this season is over.

This is NOT a destination program (yet). We do not have the revenue (if we ever will). We do not have the marketshare/fan base. We do not have the history.

How many teams with our footprint, SOS, revenue, and history would be where we have gotten to so far in the SEC? Who would've stuck around long enough to do it? Who could've recruited OH, KY, and MI as well as this staff does? Who was connected enough to find support staff like they have?

Yall are a pallet of bricks shy of a load if you think anyone else was going to do this job and continue to move up as they did.

All these bullsht posts tell me is what I've known for 30 years. The vocal % of this fan base is the most unloyal, unknowledgeable, and ungrateful of any in P5 football. They fkn whine about ticket prices, whine about NIL, WHINE about losing games they expect us to lose, and discount games we are expected to lose but win anyway. All of the fellowship of the miserable are a bunch of ungrateful bastards who don't deserve a winning season much less a good coach. Gfy

 

[Girthang]

Aside from having the wrong conclusions, he also has some wrong statements.

Phillips was fired TWO years after making a bowl (I don't recall if the 2010 bowl game was technically played in 2011, but, it was for the 2010 season), not one, and the bowl year was a 6-6 record and a losing record.

Stoops took us to a bowl game in his FOURTH season, not fifth.

The mistakes may result from an assumption that Stoops started coaching prior to, and not subsequent to, the 2012 season. This incorrect thought would lead to both of his errors.

That too, yes.

 

[WildcatofNati]

This board crushed the Bengals for keeping Marvin Lewis for 15 years despite winning anything outside of the occasional AFC North. We’re not far from Stoops having a very similar tenure, but you’re out of line to question if we can improve as a program.

It was time for Lewis to go when he did go, but, overall, he did a fairly credible job. But, the difference between Stoops and Lewis is this- the NFL is DESIGNED for parity and the SEC is designed for anything but. There is no real excuse for any bottom feeder NFL franchise NOT to eventually ascend towards the mean (granted, the Bengals front office for years was sort of an excuse in a sense) but the SEC has no draft, let alone one in which the worst draft first, no salary cap, no scheduling benefit if you finish last. In fact, success makes further success more likely and losing generally begets more losing.

 

[Girthang]

Press- "Why don't you have a dedicated ST coach?"

Stoops- "We have never had a coach that ONLY coached special teams."

Press- "Why don't you have a ST coach?"

Stoops- "We can't add another coach, because we are at our ncaa mandated staff limit."

Press- "Why doesn't anyone coach ST?"

Stoops- "We all have a hand in coaching ST."


Fans that don't pay attention 8 games into the season- "He didnt hire a ST coach! Why?"

 

[sefus12]

Why the f do you jokers think we have lost some OCs? One got us to 10 wins and went to the fkn NFL. One got his own HC gig. One salvaged a season with a WR. Same one got us to 10 wins. We LOSE coaches mostly because they are GOOD coaches.

Lost 3 primary recruiters in 2-3 seasons. Will likely lose another after this season is over.

This is NOT a destination program (yet). We do not have the revenue (if we ever will). We do not have the marketshare/fan base. We do not have the history.

How many teams with our footprint, SOS, revenue, and history would be where we have gotten to so far in the SEC? Who would've stuck around long enough to do it? Who could've recruited OH, KY, and MI as well as this staff does? Who was connected enough to find support staff like they have?

Yall are a pallet of bricks shy of a load if you think anyone else was going to do this job and continue to move up as they did.

All these bullsht posts tell me is what I've known for 30 years. The vocal % of this fan base is the most unloyal, unknowledgeable, and ungrateful of any in P5 football. They fkn whine about ticket prices, whine about NIL, WHINE about losing games they expect us to lose, and discount games we are expected to lose but win anyway. All of the fellowship of the miserable are a bunch of ungrateful bastards who don't deserve a winning season much less a good coach. Gfy

So. Much. This.

 

[Hoskins91]

This board crushed the Bengals for keeping Marvin Lewis for 15 years despite winning anything outside of the occasional AFC North. We’re not far from Stoops having a very similar tenure, but you’re out of line to question if we can improve as a program.

The Bengals problem has largely been the front office and ownership. They never wanted to spend money.

 

[Hoskins91]

I would say you have a very loose definition of decent.

Fickell had none and won at UC, very quickly as well. A good coach could take this team and win a lot more and in better fashion than Stoops and co. That's the type of coach we should ve going after. Particularly considering our recruiting is regressing.

They lost more than that. I think over half have left.

USC and Ole Miss were disappointing, but UT was absolutely embarrassing. The way we played N Ill was embarrassing as well. And it's not just this year. It's big game after big game that we just lay an egg. It's the disorganization, poor clock management, constant penalties from lack of discipline, never living up to their own hype, poor offense almost every year, not being bright enough to hire a Special teams coach and so on. This isn’t just about this year or a couple of things. The man has been here 10 years and we should be a lot further along with what we have invested.

Did you not watch the Brooks Tenure? We were ranked in the top 10 as well and went to multiple bowls. Hell, we beat the #1 in the country under him. Mark Stoops is not the savior you all have made him to be. He stayed 10 years and has won an avg of 6 games per year. Big whoop!

Our AD needs to be fired as well, and I can guarantee you, several AD's around the country who care a great deal about Football would have replaced Stoops long before now. 6 OC's in 10 years, 4 in 4 alone, would get most coaches fired. Not being smart enough to hire a Special teams coach would do it as well. Particularly after how bad our Special teams has been. We are in week 9 with the worst Special teams in football and still don't haven't gone out to get even an interem. Then you had in the fact both lines need new coaches. It's really more shocking Stoops still has a job.

In order to see a big name coach, we have to part with Stoops.

Honestly, when is is to the point for you that you make a change?

You need to go outside and touch grass. Talk to some real people.

 

[Hoskins91]

And still haven't beaten a good team.

Cool, and?

 

[AE82]

You need to go outside and touch grass. Talk to some real people.

Did that all day at work. Most people I talked to about UK football agreed it's time for a change.

 

[Hoskins91]

Did that all day at work. Most people I talked to about UK football agreed it's time for a change.

“I have a girlfriend, she lives in Canada”

 

[Hoskins91]

“There are dozens of us!!!!”

 

[AE82]

“I have a girlfriend, she lives in Canada”

Okay. Good for you!

 

[Cat Fan 4 Life]

We’re a basketball school with an average (to above average every few years) football program. We’re aren’t in the cellar with Vandy anymore. In a 12 team playoff, we could potentially make it with Stoops on occasion. I can live with that, even though I’d rather be a football school competing for nattys.

Exactly. Someone name me one school that is consistently in the Top 20 in basketball and football year in and year our. You can’t because it just doesn’t happen. Whether folks like it or not, we are a basketball school and our history says so. I love UK football and have been going since I was knee high and I’m almost 50 which also means I also grew up listening to Cawood call games on the radio when I was stripping tobacco. We are never going to be a power house in football and even though I never believe UT will be either, they are still a football school who may have a few good seasons in basketball. We aren’t going to be a destination job for some super football coach who stays 20 years. Stoops has done wonders with our program and while I am disappointed in this year’s season (probably the Ole Miss game most that we gave away 6 different ways), I am realistic that 7 to 10 wins a year is a vast improvement over where we were.

 

[Kampus Korner]

We will be hiring our 6th OC in 10 seasons and 4th in 4 seasons when we replace Scangarello. How many chances and how long do we give Stoops to get this right? He didn't even bother to hire a special teams coach for goodness sake. And we all see how bad we are on special teams. How many passes does Stoops get?

First, he’s not getting any “passes”. Have you forgotten he‘s had two 10 win seasons in the last 5 years? No UK coach has done this since Jesus was a baby. Firing Stoops now in the mere hope some other coach would come to coach here with our inglorious football history and also risk getting bounced if he didn’t instantly start winning 9 or more games every year is ludicrous.

We can barely fill a 61,000 seat stadium, which used to sit 68,000. Meanwhile, Tennessee and Alabama fill out a 100,000 seat stadium. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and others including South Carolina dwarf UK in attendance each year. Only Vanderbilt and Mississippi State have smaller stadiums than UK. Additionally, the traditional football programs in the SEC are raising millions in NIL while you couldn’t find UK’s NIL collective with Seal Team 6.

Stoops has done an excellent job considering all the relevant factors. Changing coaches every weeks 5 years or so has not proven successful at UK until Stoops arrived. No need to panic.

 

[AE82]

First, he’s not getting any “passes”. Have you forgotten he‘s had two 10 win seasons in the last 5 years? No UK coach has done this since Jesus was a baby. Firing Stoops now in the mere hope some other coach would come to coach here with our inglorious football history and also risk getting bounced if he didn’t instantly start winning 9 or more games every year is ludicrous.

We can barely fill a 61,000 seat stadium, which used to sit 68,000. Meanwhile, Tennessee and Alabama fill out a 100,000 seat stadium. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and others including South Carolina dwarf UK in attendance each year. Only Vanderbilt and Mississippi State have smaller stadiums than UK. Additionally, the traditional football programs in the SEC are raising millions in NIL while you couldn’t find UK’s NIL collective with Seal Team 6.

Stoops has done an excellent job considering all the relevant factors. Changing coaches every weeks 5 years or so has not proven successful at UK until Stoops arrived. No need to panic.

So just accept mediocrity and that we will always be middle of the road?

 

[Rockfly78]

Ohh, you're right, it took him only 2 years. That's much better.

We shall see, but it's pretty pathetic he can beat us in just his 2nd year of a rebuild. I would expect that series to be much more competitive going forward. Which doesn't bode well for Stoops and UK.

I'm not only focused on 5-3 or this season. I have repeatedly referenced his full body of work. Last yeat was nice, but it isn't like we beat some big teams along the way. We beat a #23 ranked 10-4 big 10 team in the Citrus bowl. And I am pretty sure they had a couple major players sit out. Aside from the Bowl game, who was the best team we beat?

You were the one who brought up each of those names. I just listed their similarity to us this year. Now they are off-limits because they don't support your argument? 🤣

Stoops has had 5 OC's in 10 seasons. The problem isn't the OC, bud. It's the HC! We will be hiring our 4th OC in 4 seasons.

What was so special about Coen and our offense last year? It still wasn't that good overall. Coen didn't even by a house until the same month he accepted the Rams job. He was never planning on staying if he had a better offer.

So your solution is to do the same thing we have already done 5 times and hope it works out the 6th? We also need a new DC and ST coach. Plus some line coaches. So basically we need a whole new staff, but that's probably completely normal for a coach a decade into his tenure. 🤣

It's a mentality like yours that has and will continue to keep UK football mediocre or worse.

Keep in mind coen was a sensational hire. Probably the best OC we ever had. So don’t act like he’s hired bum after bum. He tried to appease the fanbase with a couple air raid guys and it sucked yet if this fanbase had its way we would go the air raid route again in a heartbeat. It’s weird.

I will not shit on Eddie gran the way many want to. The dude built a serviceable car with tonka tools. I mean, he won 8 games without using the forward pass. But again, we moved on from him to appease the fanbase. I’d take him back as the OC tomorrow because he can make lemonade. Time will tell how bad the new guy sucks. He may not get a second year. But he may do ok in a second year with (hopefully) a better O line

 

[Rockfly78]

And still haven't beaten a good team.

Dude 8-4 would be incredible right now.

 

[Rockfly78]

First, he’s not getting any “passes”. Have you forgotten he‘s had two 10 win seasons in the last 5 years? No UK coach has done this since Jesus was a baby. Firing Stoops now in the mere hope some other coach would come to coach here with our inglorious football history and also risk getting bounced if he didn’t instantly start winning 9 or more games every year is ludicrous.

We can barely fill a 61,000 seat stadium, which used to sit 68,000. Meanwhile, Tennessee and Alabama fill out a 100,000 seat stadium. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and others including South Carolina dwarf UK in attendance each year. Only Vanderbilt and Mississippi State have smaller stadiums than UK. Additionally, the traditional football programs in the SEC are raising millions in NIL while you couldn’t find UK’s NIL collective with Seal Team 6.

Stoops has done an excellent job considering all the relevant factors. Changing coaches every weeks 5 years or so has not proven successful at UK until Stoops arrived. No need to panic.

Wait, barely fill a 61,000 seat stadium? Have you even been to a game this year? There may be a lot of things not going right at the moment but attendance isn’t one of them. Outside of that unwarranted criticism, I agree with what you are saying

 

[oddis500]

The “who are we gonna get” crowd just amazes me.

What difference does it make?? Who you have now can’t get it done. that’s the one thing we know for certain. Second year coaches are skull dragging your guy who has a decade otj- arguing that he needs more time has just become bizarre.

I’ve always wondered about guys you’d meet who have stayed in the same dead-end job forever, or dated plain AF girls, or never left their hometown. Then I read some of this nonsense and it’s like “oh I get it now.”

Being afraid to try is the weakest kind of shit imaginable.

 

[oddis500]

AE82,

I don’t know how long you’ve been a UK fan so forgive me if you have heard this before as regards purportedly “low standards” for UK football success). As for me, I have been a “long suffering UK fan since I saw my first game in 1959. Blanton Collier was the coach at the time. Since Collier, UK has has had 9 coaches and Stoops is the first UK coach in 60 years to achieve a winning record during his coaching tenure.

UK is, for the first time in more than a half century, has a decent football program as compared to its inglorious past. Like you, I wish we were better. I don’t know why we are playing so poorly on offense this year but it seems most of the problem lies with our offensive line and/ or perhaps the new Oline and OC coaches. I don‘t know what the cause of our less than expected performance this season but I think Mark Stoops has earned the right and time to fix it, if not this season then next. I don’t believe we are accepting “low standards” by keeping Mark Stoops at the present time.

With all due respect, fans like you can’t seem to grasp that the sport has changed.

The SEC has become such a behemoth that every school has improved. Funding is no longer an issue, so UK doesn’t face the disparity of facilities it has in the past.

The top talent wants to play in the SEC, so recruiting isn’t nearly as challenging as it has been in the past.

The fact is, Stoops has accomplished pretty much what any coach with a pulse could accomplish. Coaches that fail to even
win their own division ain’t that hard to find.

 

[thepip]

There is no basis for Stoops to be fired. He’s been the most successful coach at UK since Bear Bryant. We have played musical chairs with head coaches for decades with no improvement in results until Stoops arrived. Why would any currently successful coach want come to Kentucky if Stoops is fired now after all he’s done? UK is still not a job attractive to big time coaches. Look how Florida and Auburn have struggled with new coaches over the last several years despite having a much better football tradition than UK. Stoops needs to stay. However, he obviously needs to assess whether his current OC and Oline coaches are worthy of retaining.

Just an opposite take: who wouldn't want to come here? One of the highest paid head coaches, just go to a bowl (minor). Schedule some cup cakes that you can lay 40 on and stay away from scandal.
Wow, could this be the best job in CF.

 

[AE82]

Keep in mind coen was a sensational hire. Probably the best OC we ever had. So don’t act like he’s hired bum after bum. He tried to appease the fanbase with a couple air raid guys and it sucked yet if this fanbase had its way we would go the air raid route again in a heartbeat. It’s weird.

I will not shit on Eddie gran the way many want to. The dude built a serviceable car with tonka tools. I mean, he won 8 games without using the forward pass. But again, we moved on from him to appease the fanbase. I’d take him back as the OC tomorrow because he can make lemonade. Time will tell how bad the new guy sucks. He may not get a second year. But he may do ok in a second year with (hopefully) a better O line

Lol, um, we still weren't even that good offensively last year. Yes, we were a lot better than we had been, but still nothing to write home about. A large part of that was Wandale.

We hired air raid guys when we had no recievers, crappy passing QB's and really good run games. That's not a recipe for passing success, bud.

We could hire the greatest OC who ever lived, but if Stoops is still the HC, who ultimately makes the decisions, it won't matter. That's what some of you have failed to understand. We keep hiring OC's that are supposedly highly regarded and have success elsewhere. They come here and look awful and have no success. Why is that? What do they all have in common?
Until we fix the main problem, nothing is going to change. And Stoops is that problem.

 

[RipThru]

Dude 8-4 would be incredible right now.

All 8-4 records aren't created equal

 

[RipThru]

Cool, and?

You don't get it. It's fine. But don't act like we have some amazing football team when you lose to every good team you play.

 

[RipThru]

Press- "Why don't you have a dedicated ST coach?"

Stoops- "We have never had a coach that ONLY coached special teams."

Press- "Why don't you have a ST coach?"

Stoops- "We can't add another coach, because we are at our ncaa mandated staff limit."

Press- "Why doesn't anyone coach ST?"

Stoops- "We all have a hand in coaching ST."


Fans that don't pay attention 8 games into the season- "He didnt hire a ST coach! Why?"

There are 3 phases to the game... offense, defense, special teams. To not have a ST coach is a dereliction of duty.