Motivational Mark Stoops Shares His Secrets

It’s the summer of Motivated Mark Stoops. Will that be sustainable into the fall? That will be incredibly difficult against one of the ten toughest schedules in all of college football. Figuring out the path forward is unclear, but I can tell you with certainty that there will be a Motivational Mark Stoops leading the Kentucky Wildcats.

You probably associate “Motivated” with the Kentucky head football coach, but what about “Motivational?” Stoops does not come off as a big ‘rah rah’ kind of guy. He’s straightforward and to the point. He’s also an SEC football coach. Pregame speeches are a part of the job.

Ty Bryant has sat through quite a few of those pregame speeches. This month the Kentucky safety was tasked to ask his head coach a few questions, and one of them was, “Do you practice your pregame speeches?”

“I don’t practice them, but I definitely put some thought into it and try to have like three bullet points,” Stoops replied.

The speech on Saturday actually has roots on Monday. Stoops gathers the entire team for a meeting that afternoon to share the primary message to the team for the week. The goal is to bring it all full circle just before kickoff on Saturday.

“You have the motivational keys, and you have the football keys. Those are the things I try to keep in mind and build up throughout the week,” said Stoops.

“Prior to the game, as you know, we’re either ready to play or not. There’s very little the head coach can say five minutes or three minutes before we take the field that’s going to change the preparation. That motivation has been built up throughout the week.”

Take a Time Out with Ty 🏈

Ty Bryant sat down with Coach Stoops — but not before getting some assists from his teammates 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/J56OOA7a6Q

— UK Sports Network (@UKSportsNetwork) June 16, 2025

Memorable Pregame Speeches of the Mark Stoops Era

There have been a few noteworthy pregame speeches throughout his 12-year tenure. Ahead of Kentucky’s 2021 game at Georgia, Stoops took a page from the conquistadors. The Wildcats were at a point of no return. They had to “burn the ships!” It did not result in a win, but it’s an unforgettable line, thanks to the story shared by Max Duffy.

The most memorable pregame speech over the last decade did not directly come from the head coach. Stoops did not ask John Schlarman to use his illness as a tool to rally the troops until the cancer-stricken offensive line coach made the trip to Knoxville in what would be his final game on the sideline. The former UK offensive lineman shot his players straight.

“Don’t fool yourself for one second, these mother ****ers don’t respect you. They don’t respect your ass,” Schlarman said. “You gotta take it from them.” Kentucky did take it from them, two pick-sixes in fact, in the Wildcats’ first victory at Neyland Stadium since 1984.