I am having mixxed emotions. Really pumped about his recruiting, I understand the conference we are in etc.... On other hand not sold on his coaching, He should of gave reigns to Barker awhile ago, He micro manages Dawson to much etc... I am going with 1 foot off at this time.
ON OR OFF STOOPS TROOPS TRAIN?
- Thread starter buckkiller
- Start date
I also have Mixxxed Emotions about the Stoops train. I like the fact that we have some better athletes in place, but it's time to see their talent translate to on-field results.
He has a chance to get this salvaged win next 3 lock up Bowl and and maybe 4 wins finish 8-5 . Even a bowl game with a loss is better then no bowl at all. He needs to keep this next class together and stop the leak of players wanting to leave. We need to Keep our new O-line commits in a bad way.
This takes some time. They have to have time to develop. I think you will see that more and more every year. Right now I am on. I want to see this thing through. But I guess that is no secret. I just don't think hiring and firing every 3 years is the answer. Unless it is a situation like Jokers were EVERY part sucked.
Definitely willing to get back on but I'm off at the moment his coaching so far has been way less than mediocre
I'm on the Kentucky Wildcats Train! If Mark Stoops is the coach, I'm going to support him and his efforts. With that stated, I'm also a devoted fan, with same emotional emballance that comes with being a devoted fan. Coming on this sight, with other emotionally emballanced fans is my therapy for having Kentucky Widcats withdraws.
As ugly as the last 3 games have been, it isn't enough to throw the guy under the bus. He's still working with a roster of kids composed of a lot of players from the previous staff, some young recruits and JUCOs. He's smart enough to know we have issues and smart enough to deal with them. Some changes are coming and more will likely come after the season.
No way in hell do I want to start all over again with someone else at this juncture.
No way in hell do I want to start all over again with someone else at this juncture.
I understand where we are as a program. I like the recruiting. I like how the media has been talking about us. I like that as of this moment we are position to yield a better record in yr 3 than 2.....and 2 than 1. I understand what happens when we have poor depth and have to play a lot of youth.
I'm worried about choosing a guy to be your OC who has little experience....especially when you are a new HC. I worry about our special teams without a coach. I worry that Stoops won't be able to correct the rookie game managing mistakes that he's been making.
Right now we are where I'd thought we'd be. Sure, I wish we were undefeated but we're on track.
I'm on board still but I understand that train could still derail.
I'm worried about choosing a guy to be your OC who has little experience....especially when you are a new HC. I worry about our special teams without a coach. I worry that Stoops won't be able to correct the rookie game managing mistakes that he's been making.
Right now we are where I'd thought we'd be. Sure, I wish we were undefeated but we're on track.
I'm on board still but I understand that train could still derail.
On. I still think we win at least 2 more and go bowling. That's another step in the right direction. I expect to see at least 7 reg season wins next year as the next step. I have no reason to believe that we are off that path yet.
With that said, he has his warts but I think he will also continue to improve as a HC with more experience.
With that said, he has his warts but I think he will also continue to improve as a HC with more experience.
I dint want to start over but Stoops has some on the job training to do. I think he needs to take a page out of Sabans book and let his play callers have freedom stay away from them.
Doing really good recruiting
Not seeing results on the field
Ready for basketball
Not seeing results on the field
Ready for basketball
Off. Period. Even if he takes us to a puny bowl he'll be gone in two years to greener pastures.
Of course, he's not going anywhere, thanks to Mitch.
Of course, he's not going anywhere, thanks to Mitch.
Suprised "Still on"option dominating this poll so far. I figure 1foot on 1 foot off option would be the popular vote.
After LSU game in 06 The Brook's regime seemed to be over It seemed the loss took the pressure off and there was an immeadiate change they opened up the offense and started winning a replica would be nice.
Not happy with some things but completely on board. He needs time and frankly KY has to give it to him. IMO, it's Stoops or bust so go all in and give him at least 5 years and then give him a true evaluation.
There are to many red flags with Stoops as a coach. He doesn't make adjustments, His time management is terrible and he seems lost at times on the sidelines. The fact that he says he is going to re evaluate the QB position after not giving the backup's hardly anytime throughout the year say a lot too, I
Stoops has upgraded UK recruiting without a doubt. That's obvious. He inherited a mess from Joker that included the least amount of talent at UK football in a long time. But there also is much more to coaching than recruiting. Having said all that, I think UK football fans are conditioned to losing and excepting defeat when they should expect more. This is Stoops third year and he has recruiting 4 classes. Most everyone will tell you that a program, under a new coach, should see marked improvement in their 3rd year. We're not seeing that improvement at UK under Stoops. If you believe the recruiting ratings than we have more talent than a few teams on our schedule yet the improvement is not there. The Vandy game will tell a lot.
UK has not improved this year. I'm not buying the SEC arguments this year. Personally I think the SEC is having a down year. Georgia and Auburn were ripe for the picking. Our 4 wins have came against a directional Louisiana team, EKU (OT), Missouri and S Carolina. Both Missouri and South Carolina are bad this year. It says a lot that UK is an underdog against Vandy this weekend. Stoops has had time to make UK more competitive and improve. Its not there. I think they will finish 5-7 losing to Louisville and Vandy.
Many fans will say, "who can we get". I don't know that answer but if UK goes 5-7 they should have a plan because that is just not acceptable.
Stoops has upgraded UK recruiting without a doubt. That's obvious. He inherited a mess from Joker that included the least amount of talent at UK football in a long time. But there also is much more to coaching than recruiting. Having said all that, I think UK football fans are conditioned to losing and excepting defeat when they should expect more. This is Stoops third year and he has recruiting 4 classes. Most everyone will tell you that a program, under a new coach, should see marked improvement in their 3rd year. We're not seeing that improvement at UK under Stoops. If you believe the recruiting ratings than we have more talent than a few teams on our schedule yet the improvement is not there. The Vandy game will tell a lot.
UK has not improved this year. I'm not buying the SEC arguments this year. Personally I think the SEC is having a down year. Georgia and Auburn were ripe for the picking. Our 4 wins have came against a directional Louisiana team, EKU (OT), Missouri and S Carolina. Both Missouri and South Carolina are bad this year. It says a lot that UK is an underdog against Vandy this weekend. Stoops has had time to make UK more competitive and improve. Its not there. I think they will finish 5-7 losing to Louisville and Vandy.
Many fans will say, "who can we get". I don't know that answer but if UK goes 5-7 they should have a plan because that is just not acceptable.
Stoops had us all fooled. How in the crap did he recruit 4 classes in 3 years? Maybe we should keep him for that ability alone. And like I said in an earlier post. A down year for most SEC teams are what have been our best years at UK. So to say that UK should have taken them when we are trying to even get back to their average is really unfair to Stoops IMO!!
Save this discussion for the END of the 2017 season. That gives the necessary 5 years it takes to consistently field a "middle of the pack" SEC team (7th -10th)...it takes TWICE that long to get into and stay among the top 6 SEC teams (but at least we'd be out of the BOTTOM 4).
Keep drinking the blue look-aid and you'll continue to keep the faith of everyone from the Thin Thirty era to today. Sooner or later you will either understand our fate as a bottom feeder. or hope Mitch schedules Duke, Kansas, UConn, Syracuse and UNC as a playoff tournament for the worst football programs and crown the winner with a trophy. That's as close to a winner as this program is ever going to achieve.
I'm still on board. But I will say one thing that could be good or maybe it means nothing. John Ray couldn't get it done here, but he got us Commonwealth Stadium - which led to Fran Curci which led to a couple of great teams. Now Mark Stoops is here which has gotten us a remodeled stadium and new fantastic training facilities to compete with. The question is can Mark Stoops put all the positives together to bring us an SEC championship team? I hope so and want to believe it. But I do think some assistant coaching changes will be due to make it work.
Go Big Blue!
I'm still on board due to his recruiting alone. The coaching has not been good but I think people forget he's still a new coach and can improve. I agree that he needs 4 to 5 years at least. Let him build the roster more with his players and see what happens in the next year or two. If he's not doing good then get rid of him.
San Antonio I wonder how much you are keeping up? Duke and North Carolina are 7-2 and 8-1 this year. Duke got screwed by the officials last week or they would be 8-1. We need to play teams not quite as good as those - lols!
Go Big Blue!
Polls like this are always askew because there really isn't a good time for them. This current thread is coming off several bad losses.....so it's going to be littered with negativity. If we are 6-5 going into UL then this thread would be more positive.
You are correct and bless both schools for doing what it takes to build their historically bottom feeding programs. My reference was meant to emphasize basketball schools playing their own playoff with winner take all.
If we can get to 6 wins this season, I'm on the train. If we only get 5 wins, I think there is a coaching problem.
What????
You might want to clarify that statement...?
You would be closer to the truth by saying he is in his 3rd year and has 2 recruiting classes. Next years kids dont really count yet...
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I think a lot of people here like to ignore the fact his teams get worse as the season goes on ever since being here which is why most say they're on board. No reason for anyone at this point to say they're completely on board. You'd have to be a fool to not realize his coaching ability is inept. Not only that he's a virgin head coach who also hired a bunch of coordinators with zero experience at their roles. Is anyone else not alarmed by the 'free opportunity to prove you can maybe coach in the SEC even though you have no experience in your new roles' mentality stoops has taken on? Shouldn't those secondary and back up coordinators that's never called plays til they came here maybe go to a mid major program first THEN prove they can be coordinators? Then we give them a chance? Like why not go for someone proven before you hire them as your man? First step to him possibly turning it around. Fire Dawson and some other position coaches and grow the balls to hire a special teams coach. If he stays loyal to some of these coaches. Then I'm afraid there's no chance at improvement. He's gonna have to make some tough decisions or else he's not gonna make it as a head coach. As one other poster said just way too many red flags and literally zero positives outside of recruiting.
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I'm willing to see this thing through just because of the recruiting upgrade. I do wish that we would of gotten that immediate bump that happens with most of the great ones. In all honesty we do not look very good on the field. In year three with a great coach you should at least be competitive with teams that are outside of the top 20 or not even ranked. Unfortunately the last two years we have had some ugly beat downs to average teams.
No way. The ONLY thing that's kept Kentucky non competitive for so long has been money. The administration didn't want to put the money necessary to compete with anyone else. It looks like that has FINALLY changed.
There's absolutely NO reason Kentucky should be as bad as its been the past 40 years. NONE.
2 and a half recruiting classes isn't enough to turn around a program that was in the depths this one was in when Stoops got here This isn't basketball that can get the ship righted by adding one or 2 good players. Still on board.
I don't make a decision like that until the season is over. too many emotions make you change the way you think, at least on my part.
CMS has less than three years head coaching experience, so I give a little grace to some of the bad decisions. Do they concern me? yes. Am I ready to call it quitsafter less than three seasons? Um, NO.
Right now, we are going through a very rough stretch. My mentality is to get behind this team and staff because they need our support right now instead of kicking them while their down.
as of right now, I am 100% behind this staff and team!
CMS has less than three years head coaching experience, so I give a little grace to some of the bad decisions. Do they concern me? yes. Am I ready to call it quitsafter less than three seasons? Um, NO.
Right now, we are going through a very rough stretch. My mentality is to get behind this team and staff because they need our support right now instead of kicking them while their down.
as of right now, I am 100% behind this staff and team!
On the train. We need to give this guy a proper chance. I'm frustrated as hell at what I am seeing, but if he wins 6 games, he can point to annual progress (bowl game, winning 3 SEC games, finishing 4th in the east, etc). Rome wasn't built in a day.
I thought he was officially hired in December 2012. His first signing class was Feb 2013, in which he did a spectacular recruiting job putting together a very respectable class. The 2014 class was very, very good by UK standards. The 2015 class, on paper, is not as good, but I believe there are some real gems in the class. The 2016 class is not yet signed, sealed, and delivered, but by all accounts is probably in line with the 2014 class in terms of quality.
I'm still on the train for now, but if we are not clearly better by this time next year, Stoops will deserve his hot seat.