What <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/coach/mark-stoops-132239/">Mark Stoops</a> has built at <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/">Kentucky</a> is nothing short of tremendous, and many in the college football world recognize that.



It’s the reason why many throw Stoops’ name out for bigger coaching opportunities, but he’s content to continue leading the Wildcats. Speaking with Kirk Herbstreit on ESPN’s College GameDay, Stoops elaborated on how he’s been able to keep the program trending in the right direction.



“I think you know, even last year, you’re still learning. You’re still growing. Always adapting to the new environment,” explained Stoops. “We’ve always prided ourselves on development. Bringing kids in and you know, maybe three-star kids. Two-star kids. Keeping them in our program, and physically and mentally developing them over years. Well things have changed. The portal have helped. We’ve recruited some really impact players from the portal. But the nucleus of who we are still has to stay that way. 



“We want to be physical. We’ve been a bit inconsistent in the run game, I’d like to get back to that, as we’ve touched on. Getting the ball down the field. Defensively, we’ve been pretty solid, pretty stable, for a long time. We have to continue that. It’ll be a great challenge today. But I think it just starts with a mentality, a blue-collar work ethic and really developing our players.”



Alas, Mark Stoops and Kentucky have another shot at a huge win on Saturday, welcoming <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/florida-gators/">Florida</a> to town. If the Wildcats can get a victory, the hype will continue to grow in 2023 for Stoops’ squad.



<h2 id="h-tim-tebow-reveals-why-florida-kentucky-is-a-must-win-for-both-programs">Tim Tebow reveals why Florida-Kentucky is a must-win for both programs</h2>



Moreover, two potential SEC East spoilers will face off this weekend when <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/florida-gators/">Florida</a> takes on <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/">Kentucky</a> in the Bluegrass State. <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/georgia-bulldogs/">Georgia</a> is the unquestioned top dawg in the division but the spots behind it in the standings are up for grabs among the other six SEC East teams.



That backdrop is part of what makes the game so important, according to SEC Network analyst and former Gators star <a href="https://twitter.com/TimTebow?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Tim Tebow</a>. The former Heisman Trophy winner explained Friday on The Paul Finebaum Show why the game is so important to both teams.



“It’s a really important game for both teams,” Tebow said. “You look at this opportunity in the East: who’s going to really challenge Georgia in the East. Both these teams have a chance. And you’re looking at Missouri, they have another SEC game and they have a chance to be able to be 5-0. Every team’s got the opportunity to take that next spot. But this is going to be a really fascinating one because they’re also very similar. Both teams really good running the ball. Both teams really good against the run.”



Only one team can come out on top this weekend. It’ll be a fascinating one between Florida and Kentucky on Saturday.

Kentucky HC Mark Stoops

Kentucky Wildcats Football

Kentucky

Mark Stoops explains how he has built longevity within Kentucky's program

Southeastern Conference

Organization Logo

Teams

Fan Sites

Forums

Shows

team-link

College Football News

College Football Player Rankings

College Football Rankings

College Football Playoff

College Basketball News

Women's Sports

College

NIL News

NIL Valuation

NIL Deals

NIL Deal Tracker

Sports Business

Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal

Transfer Portal Rankings

Transfer Portal Team Rankings

Transfer Portal

NCAA Transfer Portal Home

Football Recruiting

Basketball Recruiting

Database

Team Rankings

Player Rankings

Industry Comparison

Commitments

Recruiting Prediction Machine

Recruiting

High School News

Schools

High School Search

Rankings

High School Rankings

Scores

High School Scores

High School

NFL Draft

NFL Draft News

Draft By Stars

College Draft History

College Draft Totals

NBA Draft

NBA Draft News

Draft

NASCAR

Culture

Sports Betting

About

On3 App

Advertise

Press

Contact

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

News

Roster

Schedule

Kentucky Draft History

[site-name] Draft History

Transfers

FB Recruiting

BB Recruiting

Fan Site

Team Store

team image

Kentucky - KSR

KSR+

KSBoard

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Mark Stoops explains how he has built longevity within Kentucky's program

Alex Golesh

Jay Bilas

Lane Kiffin

Charles Bediako

Transfer Portal Winners