1. Stoops has done a really good job over 11 years going from a low of 2 win season and high of 7-ish wins and Music City of Brooks era. So he did raise the bar to where Music City is our low and Citrus is our ceiling. So no matter what you want to argue....he's done better than Claiborne, Brooks, Morris, Mumme and Joker of modern era.
2. I am not calling for Stoops to be fired even if we finish 6-6/7-5. I think the future of Stoops/White/Marrow and especially Coen for a good 3 year window is enticing for UK fans to stick to the path. And with Cutter Boley and Stone Saunders in path to UK....feels like if we keep an offense like we saw vs. Tennessee....we'll be good enough going forward...and Coen is the key. HE is talented and I have confidence he'll groom Boley and Saunders like he has Levis and hopefully Leary has a great 2nd half of 2023 season.
3. But here is my big negative...I'm not fixated as much as many with $9M salary. But to have to pay $9M along with it is thru 2031. And these dumb contracts from Mitch are handuffing UK....the program has all the risk and none of the freedom. If Stoops craps the bed next year and goes 4-5 wins and we miss a bowl (which could happen).....we have no freedom to move and that isn't reasonable given Stoops signed this absurd deal during a 7-5 season...and we are likely to have another dissapointing season this year. Mitch has become a lazy AD and he is the ceiling for UK moreso than Stoops IMO.
Maybe the next coach will be worse than Stoops....but if UK has 9-10M to throw around...I'd argue we'd have more than enough money to lure a really good coach. With SEC and BIg10 looking like the 2 leagues that will be getting largest TV deals...all those ACC, PAc10, MAC, Big 12 , etc coaches will always be an easy picking ground for jobs like UK and the days of having to hope an assistant (like Stoops/Joker) or small schools (Mumme) will not be the norm. So I think the risk of another coach after Stoops isn't the same risk as the past 15-20 years.
