Vince Marrow snaps back at Mark Stoops, 'can't wait' to face Kentucky

In June, Vince Marrow left Kentucky to become Louisville‘s executive director of player personnel and recruiting. During an appearance on Kentucky Sports Radio on Friday, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops discussed Marrow’s decision to join the Wildcats’ in-state rival.

“Definitely surprised,” Stoops said. “But as I mentioned, you know, that’s water under the bridge. Vince and I are good. You know, there’s never an easy way to tell somebody you’ve been with for 12 years that you’re going to leave. That’s just not easy to do. And so there’s no hard feelings there.

“He’s in a role off the field that, maybe, suits him better right now as he moves forward for the next 12 years. Who knows? But I thank him for what he’s done, there’s no hard feelings, and we moved right on. That’s just it.”

While Stoops might not hold any personal grudge toward Marrow, he doesn’t plan on pulling punches against the Cardinals. After KSR host Matt Jones asked if Kentucky is going to beat Marrow and Louisville in November, Stoops didn’t mince words.

“Without question. We’re going for the throat.”

Evidently, Marrow took exception to Stoops’ comment. On Friday evening, Marrow fired back at Kentucky’s headman.

“I will be waiting for November 29 lol,” Marrow wrote on X. “Can’t wait should be fun.”

Before joining Louisville this offseason, Marrow had been at Kentucky since Stoops took over the program in 2013. Although Stoops and Marrow faced early struggles while turning the program around, they ultimately transformed Kentucky into a winning program.

The pair’s hard work culminated in two 10-win seasons in 2018 and 2021. Marrow’s recruiting was largely responsible for Kentucky’s uptick in success. He was the main recruiter for some of Kentucky’s biggest stars in the past decade, including standouts like Lynn Bowden Jr. and Benny Snell Jr.

Now, Marrow will be throwing L’s up instead of L’s down. Kentucky and Louisville will clash on Nov. 29 inside the Cardinals’ L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

Kentucky boasts a 20-16 all-time record in the rivalry. However, the Cardinals are the reigning victors, running away with a dominant 41-14 win over the Wildcats last season. It was a painful loss for Mark Stoops, who had led Kentucky to five consecutive wins over Louisville before that.

Clearly, both teams aren’t shying away from butting heads once again. Of course, with Vince Marrow on the opposite sideline this year, the rivalry will be even more heated than usual.