Mark Stoops in the Top 3 of SEC Coaches Power Rankings

Mark Stoops will break Bear Bryant’s school record for all-time wins (60) this season, cementing his status as a Kentucky Football legend. But how does he compare to the rest of the coaches in the SEC? Matt Hayes over at Saturday Down South released his SEC Coaches Power Rankings this morning and Stoops is No. 3 behind Georgia‘s Kirby Smart and Alabama‘s Nick Saban. The three make up the “safe champions” tier.

“Why is Stoops a champion, you ask? Because anyone who wins 10 games at Kentucky (twice in 4 years), falls into that category. UK is the prime example of how NIL can change the look of the game. Stoops just had a top-15 recruiting class, and is winning recruiting battles against SEC blue-bloods and neighboring Ohio State.”

Hayes also praises Mitch Barnhart’s decision to stick with Stoops back in 2015. As he notes, Kentucky Football’s had great success in recruiting, although I attribute that to recent results more than NIL. As NIL continues to change the recruiting game at a rapid pace, Barnhart’s willingness to embrace it could be equally as important as his steadfastness in Stoops seven years ago.

Anyway, Hayes’ next tier is “Big money = big expectations” and includes Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M), Brian Kelly (LSU), Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), and Sam Pittman (Arkansas). Both Fisher and Kelly north of $9 million per year, which should make you appreciate Stoops and his $6.75 million salary even more. Hayes also ranked the top head-coaching candidates on each staff. Kentucky’s is defensive coordinator Brad White, who ranks fourth behind Georgia co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann, Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, and Texas A&M associate head coach Elijah Robinson.

While we’re talking SEC Coach Rankings, On3’s Jesse Simonton put Stoops fifth on his list.

When Stoops arrived at UK in 2013, he grabbed a hard hat and a shovel and went to work. In the nine years since, he’s taken the Wildcats from the doormat of the conference to one of the more respectable programs in the SEC. He’s won 10 games twice in the last four seasons — something that had been done only two times previously in the entire history of the school’s program. Player development is a marquee staple on Stoops’ resume. He has one of the greatest contracts in the sport, and looks to remain a fixture at Kentucky (unless he has eyes for Iowa whenever Kirk Ferentz retires). 

I’ll ignore that Iowa talk for now. Go Stoops. Go Cats.