GYERO

Hank Camacho

Heisman
May 7, 2002
27,757
10,679
113
I do worry that there's some George Costanza in Stoops.
Mark Stoops will get every nickel he is owed and he will continue coaching here as long as that is the best financial move for Mark Stoops.

Our dipshit AD is the one who signed the ridiculous contract. I can't blame Stoops, either. My attitude if I was in his position would be: "Eff you -- pay me!", too.
 

HymanKaplan

All-American
Feb 22, 2024
1,683
9,155
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It's like some are resigning themselves to Sumrall. Yeah, he'll have an advantage, knowing how things work here but there are others to look at.

Stoops was a good hire. He just stayed too long. He and we screwed that up.

As to Hartline, I think OSU's offense is pretty vanilla, maybe by Day's design. They can execute with great talent. UK does not have that luxury. If you're looking for a great offensive mind, he may not be it. IDK.

I'm just looking for Arch to put of HOF numbers this weekend and Feinbaum can declare, Texas is back!

Even a "vanilla" offense, if consistently implemented over time, recruited to, and player developed towards, would be a huge improvement in and of itself. It would be, in fact, the polar opposite of what we've been dealing with for the last 5 plus years.

As I said; IMO the defensive side of the ball is much less complicated, and can more easily handle coordinators coming and going periodically. Thus the increased importance of the HC being the "de facto" Offensive Coordinator.
 
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HymanKaplan

All-American
Feb 22, 2024
1,683
9,155
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Hank, I disagree with you on one point. You said Stoops will be here as long as it is in his best financial interest.

At the point where it ceases to be in UK's best financial interest then he will get a check and no longer be the UK coach.

IMO, that time has come. But, that's just MY opinion.
 
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Vismund

All-American
Mar 30, 2007
10,541
8,973
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Mark isn't delusional about his image like Cal was. He knows he's underperforming and being overpaid and I don't think he particularly wants to continue failing which is why I believe the rumors about discussing an off ramp for both parties. It's why he seemed so excited to be heading to TAMU.

He's just trying to keep it afloat right now for the next guy.
 

BradyJames

All-Conference
Apr 8, 2024
327
2,179
92
Mark isn't delusional about his image like Cal was. He knows he's underperforming and being overpaid and I don't think he particularly wants to continue failing which is why I believe the rumors about discussing an off ramp for both parties. It's why he seemed so excited to be heading to TAMU.

He's just trying to keep it afloat right now for the next guy.
If he is trying to keep it afloat for the next guy.

We can add that to his list of failures. Can’t even beat a single team with a pulse. What a disgrace to the Stoops name.
 

HymanKaplan

All-American
Feb 22, 2024
1,683
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Stoops has clearly been left behind in the last 5 years, and is no longer a competent HC in the new era, but as Hank said, he's not actually the villain here. That scarlet letter needs to remain on the ACTUAL architect of this big bowl of poop; Barnhart. That can't be reiterated enough.

Stoops: incompetent, antiquated, was never going to split the atom anyway.

Barnhart: criminally inept and stubborn.

Stoops went wrong, when he started trying to replace skill player development with shortcuts (essentially trying to 'BUY" ready made QB's) and not understanding the other side of the ball (offense) enough to be able to make competent hires. (with rare exceptions)
 
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Hank Camacho

Heisman
May 7, 2002
27,757
10,679
113
Hank, I disagree with you on one point. You said Stoops will be here as long as it is in his best financial interest.

At the point where it ceases to be in UK's best financial interest then he will get a check and no longer be the UK coach.

IMO, that time has come. But, that's just MY opinion.
Obviously. I was agreeing with Wayne that Stoops has Constanza in him and will NOT leave for any reason that does not look out for his financial best interest. He is not going to get embarrassed and quit or worry about his legacy or anything of the sort.

Forget Kentucky football. Literally. It has done nothing to deserve the fans it has. Probably not permanently, but right now just forget it.

Madness was magical. Kentucky basketball (and college basketball, in general) makes me feel like a kid again. I'm all in. I feel like John Fanta I am so giddy.
 

august-west

Heisman
May 21, 2002
61,406
17,892
78
 

jayroon41

Junior
Aug 22, 2024
138
220
43
They already know if they are going to get rid of him or not (or if they don’t then they should). Shouldn’t they go ahead and do it since all these other jobs are open already so they’re not gonna be behind and lose out on coaches they want to consider that very well could already be hired elsewhere by the end of the season?
 

M080470

Freshman
Jul 10, 2025
35
64
18
Last week Darrell Bird was carrying water for Mitch with this dumb premise that "everyone forgets Mitch only had two options when the contract was signed". The options were lose Stoops to Auburn orsomewhere else like LSU or give him a contract that ensured he would stay awhile. That is so blatantly untrue, Bird should be ashamed himself. Stoops, at no point even with 10-win seasons, was ever going to be a sexy hire. He was always into be the 5th or 6th choice anywhere. Also, it's a premise that the UK job has zero appeal and we're just lucky to get anyone. Then you throw in the 60-day deal and the adding on a year every time he gets a bowl and it just sends me over the f-king moon what a stupid contract it is, there's no defending it at all.

Regarding Franklin, I never liked him, but the moment I realized he'll never be a elite coach was he made a comment leading up to our Citrus Bowl game against them that he couldn't believe the serious demeanor of UK players, fans, and coaches had about the game. This coming from someone who never sniffed a BCS championship let alone BCS playoff like it was something below him, reeks of a loser. He did his amazing job at Vandy but I wouldn't want him at any program that is really serious about it's program.
 
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CSC81

All-Conference
May 17, 2017
976
3,272
48
It's like Barnhart just got on his 30 year old Gateway desktop, signed into AOL, and downloaded a coaching contract from freelegalhelp.com

He is implausibly stupid and inept.
I would like this with a crying/laughing emoji if it didn’t piss me off to no end.

As I’m also sitting here watching this Bears, runny, liquid, down the leg, pants shitting performance of giving this game away.
 

Btoddisabish

Sophomore
Sep 11, 2025
51
155
33
Lord God I saw what you did for us last year and Im just asking for it one more time. Only you know how much we need that money for basketball recruits, lord and possibly a competent quarterback. We thank you for all the blessings you have bestowed upon us Lord. We thank you for Mark Pope. Please watch over this commonwealth and this thread as they go about their day. In Jesus name amen
 

Catsfan2025

Sophomore
Jul 8, 2025
197
184
43
"Tossed around". LOL, they list 3 or 4 competent coaches they would like to hire, then some wise guy speaks up and says "Hey, worse case, if we strike out on ALL of our top guys and nobody with a pulse is willing, we could always as a last ditch effort, hire Mark Stoops". That is the only way his name is being "tossed around" at Virginia Tech. ZERO % chance.
 

Krazykats1

Sophomore
Aug 29, 2025
67
118
32
For Stoops VaTech should be idea if he could get that job. It’s in the ACC and that landscape should be easier to compete in considering he has shown the ability to land players.

His main issue as HC anywhere will always be consistent though in that he has to know talent in his assistants and that’s the one thing I think he has struggled the most at while here.

If you are VaTech though, other than his ability to get players and the idea he has SEC coaching experience I can’t imagine what else you could sell yourself on in order to settle on Stoops.
 
Jul 9, 2025
55
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Have you all taken leave of your senses? Do you no longer have any sense of smell now that WCC has disappeared?

Who honestly thinks Virginia Tech is going to hire this guy? Fellas, WEST Virginia Tech wouldn't hire Stoops. I'd say 200 of the 256 FBS/FCS schools would say, "thanks, but no thanks" if Stoops' name came up. The other 56 would hire him as a last resort after the local high school coaching legend turned down an offer.

He's damaged goods. Once the TAMU stuff hit the news outlets and those weirdos revolted, that was all she wrote.

And even after having said all of ^THAT^ remember the man makes 9 million a year with a 40 million buyout. He's not going to walk away from that to be the next head coach at Utah Valley State or wherever. We are saddled with this guy and there is no amount of mental gymnastics you can do to make any other scenario make sense. Quit hitting the smelling salts and use your good common sense smell test.
 

jayroon41

Junior
Aug 22, 2024
138
220
43
He has a good agent so that helps him and I think he'll play the blame game with UK regarding Mitch/NIL in conversations with other schools about what went wrong here. He did have a good run here that he can prop up and these schools haven't been watching him closely enough over the years to know the intricacies of his struggles with game management/coordinators/etc.

I don't see him getting the Va Tech role (I think Franklin would be a better fit given his connection to the area-grew up & went to college in Pennsylvania/coached at Maryland) but could see him end up somewhere like Wisconsin when it opens up.
 

Hank Camacho

Heisman
May 7, 2002
27,757
10,679
113
@Strokin' Bandit

I don't disagree but that might be the point. There really isn't any reason for Stoops' name to be associated with that job except that his agent is actively out there pimping his name for jobs. So that could be good at least.

I have no illusions that VA Tech is going to take him off our hands but I do think it is at least notable that Jimmie Sexton is out there floating Stoops' name.
 
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Formerly Imafan4evr_

All-Conference
Jul 31, 2004
3,328
2,176
73
Believe Sexton also represents Beamer and Franklin, so it may be interesting to see how much smoke starts blowing with their names vs Stoops with VT. If Stoops picks up more steam and those don’t, it would certainly look like a very Stoops-oriented Sexton construct.
 
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