If you have been reading my posts, you know I was not surprised by our loss to Southern Miss. For months, I said that we could not get into a shootout with Southern Miss. I said Kentucky needed to run the football effectively and get a pass rush on Mullens for 4 quarters. We did neither. Worse, our lines and special teams played poorly, and we folded in the 2nd half. So I won't bellyache about Southern Miss, because I saw it coming. Now, Mark Stoops is under major pressure. He is embarrassed, and he is apologizing. It is rare for coaches to apologize. In the weeks ahead, Stoops will be prone to mistakes people make under pressure. Because he is a man of character, he will be accountable and accept responsibility. But he may reach for solutions. Expect Stoops to put a lot more pressure on his staff. Expect him to use more true freshmen that he has not necessarily been planning to use. We can expect more decommitments, and it is time to worry about Javonte Richardson, Tyrell Ajian, Bryant Koback. As I have said here many times, the deck is actually stacked in Stoops' favor in 2017 when Barker will have a full season of starting experience, his inexperienced defensive players will have another season under their belts, and as many as 19 incumbent starters will return. So an experienced head coach would now focus on patient player development with 2017 in mind. In reality, nothing can probably be done to preserve a recruiting edge for this class, but Stoops could get back on top of the recruiting world 1 year from now if our 2017 season comes together. It is also time for Stoops to give serious consideration to replacing his friend DJ Eliot. If he doesn't, then I really wonder if he can ever recruit enough SEC type defensive players. Absent a major defensive turnaround, Eliot should be dismissed in December. Eliot's coordinator job should be offered to Derrick Ansley, and Ansley might take it. But if not Ansley, then maybe Ron Burton, defensive line coach at Michigan State. Michigan State has a strong defense against the run, and Burton is a good recruiter. A Virginia native, Burton graduated from UNC and played for the Dallas Cowboys. He is 52 years old, overdue for promotion. Unless things turn around, Stoops will lose his job in December, 2017. (Although not before.) And 1 way or the other, how Stoops manages what promises to be an unpleasant 2016 season will go a long way toward determining his fate in 2017.
The state of our football program
- Thread starter Blue Decade
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Can't imagine Burton or that caliber assistant coming here knowing Stoops is hanging on by the skin of his teeth and knowing the lack of DL talent we have to work with.
The book is still out on our present defensive talent. Given their reputations when they signed, someone might conclude that some of our defensive players can still be developed into effective defenders. There is enough talent in the freshman and sophomore classes for a stellar secondary. On the edge, sophomores Denzel Ware and Kobie Walker are major talents, and Jordan Bonner has a lot of upside. But the defensive line is a problem. That's not even debatable. You make a good point about the thought process of a coordinator candidate recruited by Kentucky now. There would be a tough negotiation. I disagree with you about Stoops "hanging on by the skin of his teeth". That's an emotional response. Stoops has at least 23 more games as Kentucky's head coach. No matter how mad anyone is about Saturday, Stoops will not be fired this year unless he loses 9 games. But if Stoops doesn't win in 2017, that would be the end for him here. A coordinator candidate might see that as a risk, or might see it as an opportunity. People who aren't coaches cannot necessarily understand how a coach looks at something like this. Getting an SEC coordinator assignment on your resume is an important career advancement, especially for a coach in his 50s who hasn't been a coordinator yet. If there is enough money and security in the deal, some qualified candidates will look seriously. Stoops has to cut ties with Eliot or he is dead here.
LOL! I guess I'm glad to hear you like the 1st half of my posts. Read or not. Up to you. FWIW I seem to get a fair number of likes.
There has been considerable discussion / speculation on this board that Stoops is the de facto DC of the team anyway. I saw enough in the first half to know that the offense has the potential to really shine if the OL can get it together.
To state the obvious, the front seven on D was hot garbage on Sat night. During the history of Stoops tenure, the UK D has struggled mightily against all but overmatched foes. That's on Eliot and Stoops. I don't know if it's poor player development, poor recruiting, poorly designed schemes that are poorly executed, plain and simple bad luck, or some combination of all the above, but BD is right. If Stoops can't or won't fix it, someone else will (eventually).
To state the obvious, the front seven on D was hot garbage on Sat night. During the history of Stoops tenure, the UK D has struggled mightily against all but overmatched foes. That's on Eliot and Stoops. I don't know if it's poor player development, poor recruiting, poorly designed schemes that are poorly executed, plain and simple bad luck, or some combination of all the above, but BD is right. If Stoops can't or won't fix it, someone else will (eventually).
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You make some good points. Looking at the entire roster, I believe Stoops and Marrow have been strong recruiters. Especially on the offense, also in our secondary. But we just don't sign enough quality defensive linemen. The defensive line is the hardest position on the field to recruit. Matt Elam and Kengera Daniel had offers from Alabama. Adrian Middleton had an offer from Missouri, another program that puts defensive linemen in the NFL every year. To be fair, Stoops and Brumbaugh did a great job developing Za'Darius Smith, Melvin Lewis, CJ Johnson, Farrington Huguenin. But we can also point to defensive linemen who have not been developed very well, and I'm sure that happens everywhere. We just need more of them.
A lot of good points, but why on earth would you want Ansley as our DC? He's a great DB coach but that's it. He hasn't been a DC and that's what we need is experience. If Pelini is still/ever was an option would be a great hire. There are plenty of candidates as the Stoops family are well known and have a lot of relationships in major college football. I actually think Gran is the right hire and believe he will get it done.
Then why on earth would you expect Bo Pelini to accept a coordinator job at Kentucky? Do you think Pelini would accept a coordinator job at South Carolina or Vandy? Of course he wouldn't. Actually, Mike Riley's vanilla performance at Nebraska has vindicated Pelini to a certain extent. Pelini was paid a lot of money by Nebraska. He is comfortable, and he is waiting patiently for a suitable HC job to open up. With the possible exception of Stoops, Derrick Ansley has the best defensive mind I have seen at Kentucky since Rich Brooks was here. Instead of wondering why I would recommend Ansley for the position, you should be worried whether Kentucky can punch high enough right now to lure a coach with Ansley's reputation and options. BTW, Ansley turned down defensive coordinator jobs while he was at Kentucky. Some say Georgia was 1 of them.
Ron Hudson probably didn't "voluntarily" resign. Rich Brooks has a lot of integrity, and probably gave Hudson a face saving exit path. I sure don't see Eliot resigning on his own initiative. Eliot is a driven man who wants to succeed. Quit isn't in Eliot's vocabulary, but I question more and more whether he can get the job done here. There have been some improvements, but I don't honestly see Eliot being on a pathway to success as an SEC coordinator. The question is whether Stoops has the vision and sense of urgency to make the necessary changes quickly enough. The firing of Dawson and hiring of Gran suggest the sense of urgency isn't a problem. But I was not impressed with Gran's game plan or adjustments, so I find myself increasingly questioning whether anyone on this staff fully understands what it will take to finish the job.