Why Nebraska's first call should be to Mark Stoops after firing Scott Frost
I’ve seen the hot boards and coaching candidate lists to replace Scott Frost at Nebraska. I tossed out Lance Leipold and Chris Klieman as two coaches worthy of consideration. I saw the report that Matt Campbell is “the primary target” for AD Trev Alberts and is “HIGHLY expected” to be the next Cornhuskers’ coach. All fine.
But Nebraska’s first call should be to Mark Stoops. Make Kentucky’s coach say no first.
The Cornhuskers cratered under their Prodigal Son, but while that “home run hire” didn’t work, this is still a job where you can build a winner. It doesn’t have to be about national championships. This isn’t the 90s anymore — and Alberts admitted as much in his press conference Sunday.
“We’ll stop talking about championships and talking about things we used to do,” Alberts said.
There’s no reason — especially now in today’s NIL and transfer portal era — that Nebraska can’t be a sustainable winner like Wisconsin — and perhaps better. While there are current Big Ten divisions, it can compete for the West. When there aren’t, it should still be on the upper ladder of the conference.
“This job has advantages to other jobs, and it has some disadvantages. It’s the same thing with every job in college football,” Albert said.
“We have 1.8 million people (in the state). That’s not going to change. But we have some built-in advantages here. So we’ve got to play to our strengths and build on those. The right kind of coach (will) see this as an opportunity to rebuild and build something special.”
Nebraska once developed players. The Cornhuskers used to beat Iowa. They were a perennial bowl team. But Frost’s tenure was such a disaster that his 16-31 record has made Cornhusker fans long for the days of Bo Pelini.
Well Nebraska, can I interest you in a better Bo Pelini with a recruiting upside and no baggage?
Search firms charge a pretty penny for such advice, but this is free: Call Mark Stoops.
Why Mark Stoops makes sense for Nebraska
Nebraska has no identity right now. It’s a house with all the bells and whistles but no insulation and cracks in the foundation.
Stoops would provide stability, grit and an attitude for a program desperate for direction.
On Saturday night after upsetting Florida in The Swamp, Stoops said, “We may win. We may lose. But by God, we’re going to be tough.”
You could print that on every billboard across the state, Trev.
That’s an identity.
Stoops has done a remarkable job at Kentucky, turning a woebegone football program into a legitimate SEC team. It’s a program that has four 10-win seasons in over 100 years — twice since 2018 under Stoops. Since a couple of early 5-7 seasons, Stoops is 20 games over .500 at Kentucky.
Kentucky.
This isn’t some Johnny-come-lately argument for Stoops because he beat the Gators for the second-straight season over the weekend. This is about sustainability.
The man has more victories at Kentucky now than Bear Bryant.
The hallmarks of Stoops’ tenure in Lexington have been a revamped recruiting strategy (that only continues to get better, too), player development, toughness and bowl appearances.
That kind of sounds like exactly what all Nebraska needs right now.
Luke Fickell is not leaving Cincinnati, where he just went to the College Football Playoff and is set to enter the Big 12 next season, for Nebraska. But Stoops would at least have to consider an offer to return to his Big Ten roots.
I’m not saying he would accept it. He has a fantastic gig at Kentucky, with a rolling contract and a huge buyout that gets fatter seemingly every offseason. The pressure, albeit rising some, compared to Nebraska, is minimal.
But no one has ever argued if Nebraska is a football school. The Blackshirts aren’t just the biggest show in town, but the whole damn state.
Many have long believed that Stoops would only leave Kentucky for Iowa, where he and his brothers played. But unless new nepotism laws sink Kirk Ferentz, that job isn’t opening anytime soon.
Nebraska is a better gig anyways.
It has resources that would allow Stoops to continue to recruit hard in the Midwest — all those same Ohio kids going to Kentucky could certainly come play for Nebraska. It can compete in the NIL game and become an active transfer portal destination. It has a greater ceiling than Kentucky.
Can Mark Stoops win a championship at Nebraska? Probably not. But he definitely can’t win one at Kentucky.
Trev Alberts has plenty of time to sort through lots of candidates’ resumes, but if he truly wants to get Nebraska back to the way things were, then he should call Mark Stoops first.