New information brings clarity to Mark Stoops' situation at Kentucky
The success the Kentucky football team has experienced under Mark Stoops and his staff naturally has his name in the mix for other big job openings. However, to the chagrin of Oklahoma and others, Stoops is unlikely to leave the program this offseason, according to Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio.
Mark Stoops and athletics director Mitch Barnhart have reportedly come to an agreement over the weekend regarding the future of the program.
Specifically, Jones mentioned investments and changes for the betterment of the program moving forward. Investments could include facility upgrades, coaches’ salary bumps, or other resources.
Stoops commented on the rumors on KSR after the Wildcats’ win over Louisville on Saturday.
“Absolutely,” Stoops said on the KSR Postgame Show in regards to his plans to stay in Lexington. “I mean, I don’t appreciate you putting me on the spot like that. I come on your show and give you my time. Really appreciate you and the way you get the fans fired up — but I love the Big Blue Nation. Yes, I absolutely plan on being here.”
Stoops has been connected to a few job vacancies, but the majority of buzz centered around LSU in recent weeks. KSR was the first to report that LSU was in contact with the Kentucky head coach on Nov. 19, with college football insider Bruce Feldman later reporting that the Tigers had “legitimate interest” in Stoops. However, with LSU stealing Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame, that threat is gone.
Stoops’ older brother Bob is currently serving as Oklahoma’s interim head coach as the Sooners look for a replacement for new USC head coach Lincoln Riley.
Mark Stoops turned Kentucky into a contender
In 2013, Mark Stoops took over at Kentucky, where the only blue-blood program plays in shorts for John Calipari. Stoops took over a program that had won four SEC games in the previous three seasons. He has built the Wildcats slowly, methodically. They won two games in his first season. They won five in each of the next two seasons. That’s 12-24, if you’re doing the math, and no one in the Kentucky administration blinked.
It took Stoops five seasons to beat Tennessee, six to beat Florida but now Kentucky is 9-3 and No. 25 in the country to end the regular season.