Mark Stoops releases first statement after being fired as Kentucky head coach

Just one day after his 13-year tenure at Kentucky came to an end, head coach Mark Stoops has released a statement.

“To all of my former players, coaches, staffers, and the Big Blue Nation, from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” Stoops wrote. “Coaching at Kentucky the last 13 years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I’ve felt your support, your pride, and your love every single day. Kentucky has become my home and I’ll be forever grateful to have been your head coach.”

Stoops was hired at Kentucky prior to the 2013 season and was the longest-tenured SEC head coach prior to his firing on Monday. Over his 13-year tenure in Lexington, Stoops led the ‘Cats to an 82-80 (38-68) record with eight consecutive bowl game appearances from 2016-2023. He leaves the position as the winningest head coach in program history.

After making those eight straight postseason appearances, the last two seasons have been rough for the program. In that span, Kentucky compiled a 9-15 (3-13) record and failed to make a bowl game. It looked as if Stoops may have saved his job with three straight wins over Auburn, Florida, and Tennessee Tech to get to 5-5 this season, but blowout losses to No. 14 Vanderbilt (45-17) and Louisville (41-0) to end the year gashed all hope of that.

The program moved fast in naming a new head coach in former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein. Stein, a native of Louisville, KY, had been the Ducks play-caller for the past three seasons. Although he is assuming duties at Kentucky, he will continue to call plays for Oregon throughout the College Football Playoff.

“Growing up in Kentucky and sitting in the stands at UK games as a kid, I could only dream of one day leading the Wildcats,” Stein wrote in a statement. “This is truly a dream come true.”

No matter what the future holds for Mark Stoops, he will forever be remembered as one of the best (if not the best) head coaches in the history of Kentucky Football.