If you're talking more parity below top 2-5 programs, perhaps. But we're going to be losing a couple after JR year every year too - at least I hope so. Some of the schools you name also have had issues other than players leaving early to keep them down a shade.
The destiny us "Baby Boomer" UK fans never wanted for our football program.
- Thread starter Kampus Korner
- Start date
Personally I am not buying it that we can't progress and get better, be competitive and possibly winning the SEC in a few years. This isn't your grandpa's UK football any more. We are making an investment to win but no, it is not the win at all costs which is what too many folks want. We will win more consistently.
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Oh I agree. I'm just saying that there could be a silver lining to the modern 3 and out football formula. Uga definitely got hurt more from players being kicked out than leaving early. Uf and LSU though, they can't keep lbs and dbs past 3 years.
UK could look at a pattern of hitting on a really good class, getting to rs behind it, and having a lot of experience and depth every 3 or 4 years.
We aren't going to be perennial east contenders because of recruiting base. But we can build around a class much like our '15 class.... unfortunately not '14.... if '14 had panned out better this year would be ridiculous for us.
It's almost impossible to land a class in the top 10 unless you have 1 or 2 five star recruits. I'm not sure we have any on the radar right now but it's early so who knows?
I think it reasonable to believe we can become the SEC's answer to Oregon, Kansas State, or Wisconsin. We've never come close to gathering and devoting the resources to football we now do. Change in program status is coming, and clearly faster than some of you realize.
I differ with you on a couple of points. First of all, hitting one class in every three or four is not what we can or are doing. Consistently stacking classes in the top 25-30 is the key because you continue to build depth that can contribute and grow into starters. That is how you build and then win which leads to inroads into higher quality recruits.
All classes are basically the same in that typically one-third of a class will be major contributors, one-third will be partial contributors and one-third will wash out and those numbers won't necessarily be in lock step with recruiting rankings which brings out the second point on which I differ. The '14 class is pretty typical for us or any other program as far as attrition. Seldom will you end up with 14-18 Seniors unless you supplement with Jucos or transfers. I think where you are coming from is that you expected more from the highly rated players in that class but again, that's not always how it works out.
Our in-state base will always be a drag but we can make that up by doing what Stoops is doing and that is treating Ohio as just another county in the state of Kentucky and then becoming a player in several hotbeds here and there in the Southeast. I believe we are well on our way to becoming a consistent winning program.
Mountain Cat, I applaud your optimism. While I am not as optimistic, I certainly don't believe that UK rising to the "top level of the SEC East" is "hopeless", I merely don't have any expectations it will happen during my remaining years. And, at age 67, in relatively good health, I hope to hang on for a while. Nevertheless, I am quite pleased with Mark Stoops's success this past year. In many ways, it reminds me of what Coach Rich Brooks did in 2006 when his team was 3-4 and had just gotten shut out by LSU 49-0. Fans were screaming for his firing, not unlike the sentiment expressed by many UK fans (including me) after Stoops' 2016 team blew a win to Southern Mississippi, got whupped bad by Florida and struggled for half the game before beating lowly New Mexico State. Like Brooks, in 2006, Stoops' 2016 team went on to finish the regular season at 7-5.
It remains to be seen of course, whether Stoops can have the kind of follow up "success" Brooks had after his 2006 Lazarus like revival when he went 8-5, 7-6 and 7-6. These kinds of seasonal records have, with few exceptions, represented the ceiling for UK football "success" since Bear Bryant dumped UK for Texas A&M in 1953, 64 years ago. If UK is to rise to the "top level of the SEC East", UK will have to get 9 wins a season on a regular basis. To get to 9 wins a season, UK would have to regularly beat at least 2 SEC teams like Georgia, Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama and Texas A&M, plus the likes of the South Carolina's, Vanderbilt's, Mississippi's, etc. It would be awesome to see UK regularly win even 8 games a season let alone 9. However, this has never happened. Coach Bryant won 8 or more games three times in his 7 year tenure at UK.
Mountain Cat, I hope your optimism materializes. I don't expect it will happen but I sure will enjoy it if it does.
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A little history here, on the Bryant years. For all the good Bear did, if you go to the media guide, you might be surprised to find that most Bryant teams at Kentucky did not play the murderer's row of ranked teams that has been the norm for Kentucky football since the 70's.
There are many of the same names, each year, but top 10 teams did not make up the norm for the top half of the SEC, prior to integration.
There are many of the same names, each year, but top 10 teams did not make up the norm for the top half of the SEC, prior to integration.
