Mark Stoops is a couple years shy of having coached the University of Kentucky football team for a decade. The 2021 season will be his ninth in the big chair, and once completed will match Fran Curci, the coach from 1973 to 1981, for the longest tenure by any UK football coach in the program’s history.
Stoops, 49-50 overall in his eight seasons, passed Curci for No. 2 on the school’s list of all-time wins leaders last season. The only name in front of him is Paul “Bear” Bryant, who won 60 games in eight years before bolting for Texas A&M.
While he’s appreciative of those milestones, records aren’t something Stoops has cared to mull on much when asked about them in public settings. Still, barring a total collapse of the program (or another season shortened due to a pandemic), he seems a good bet to be the Wildcats’ winningest coach by no later than the 2022 season. Outside of that, the only way to guarantee Bryant stays on top would be if Stoops soon departs for another job.
His current contract runs through June 2025, or essentially, the end of the 2024 season. Not counting bonuses, he’s set to make about $21 million over the next four years. He’s gotten the program out of the Southeastern Conference basement and into a place where it’s regularly playing in, and lately winning, bowl games. His last two recruiting classes and the active 2021 group, based on 247Sports’ average player rating, are the three best assembled at Kentucky in the recruiting-service era.
The program is “rolling” in a way that it rarely has before, and appears to be in as consistent a position to climb higher up the SEC ladder than at any point since Bryant was on the sidelines. Kentucky is not doing the things Alabama and Clemson are doing, but it has aspirations of sitting among that lot. One can argue that’s unrealistic, but it’s less of a pipe dream than it was when Stoops arrived in 2013. That begs the question: “Wouldn’t this be a hard situation to leave?”
“You never know what’s out there,” Stoops said in a recent interview with the Herald-Leader. “I don’t want to pigeonhole myself into saying any predictions. I know this, my concentration is on this place right here, right now. And that’s all it ever has been. And to say that it always will be or will not? I don’t know.”
“I agree with you. You made that statement, but I’ll second that. It would be a hard place for me to leave, yes.”
Before jumping to conclusions about the amount of “hedging” that can be interpreted from that response, consider this: Mark’s brother Bob Stoops was named head coach at Oklahoma in 1999 and remained there through the 2016 season despite advances from other colleges and NFL teams through the years.
Oklahoma isn’t Kentucky; it carries a blue-blood membership card. But, it was in a state of disrepair when Bob arrived similar to that UK was in when Mark came to Lexington in 2013, and it was the first head-coaching opportunity for both men. Bob led the Sooners to a national championship in 2000 and three other title-game appearances in 18 seasons before retiring in 2017. Mark’s success at Kentucky hasn’t been as profound, nationally, but locally and within the greater picture of UK history it’s about as good as it’s ever been in the modern era.
Mark says his focus has always been on improving Kentucky, not wondering about what he can do here to launch himself into another job.
“I’ve never looked at it like that. I just simply look at it like, ‘Let’s get in and attack the work that needs to be done,’” Mark said. “I’ve never spent any time thinking about leaving. … I spend zero time thinking about any other job. I learned a lot of that from my brother Bob. He never left, did he? He retired right there and was offered so many opportunities. With myself, I kind of learn that from him and take a page out of his book.”
Stoops’ name was so closely connected to the opening at Florida State in 2019 that he publicly addressed a meeting that took place with the Seminoles’ administration during that season and affirmed his commitment to Kentucky. Some media outlets last year named him as a possible successor to Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, his alma mater, but any speculation related to that job proved moot as Ferentz is returning for his 23rd season in Iowa City.
As long as Kentucky continues to win at a clip that exceeds its decades of less-than-stellar performance and keeps gaining ground in the SEC, Mark Stoops’ name will be one tied to marquee openings, whether it’s spurred by wishful thinking from fans of other schools, legitimate interest between the parties, or some other reason. Ultimately, if other teams are interested in your coach, it’s not a bad thing.
And if he tells them, “Thanks, but no thanks,” that makes it all the better for the Big Blue Nation.
“You know, the best job out there is the one you have,” Stoops said.
———
KENTUCKY COACHING RECORDS
Top 10 wins leaders in UK football history, with overall record and years coached
1. Paul “Bear” Bryant, 60-23-5 (1946-1953)
2. Mark Stoops, 49-50 (2013-current)
3. Fran Curci, 47-51-2 (1973-1981)
4. Blanton Collier, 41-36-3 (1954-1961)
5. Jerry Claiborne, 41-46-3 (1982-1989)
6. Rich Brooks, 39-47 (2003-2009)
7. Harry Gamage, 32-25-5 (1927-1933)
8. Bill Curry, 26-52 (1990-1996)
9. Charlie Bradshaw, 25-41-4 (1962-1968)
10. A.D. Kirwan, 24-28-4 (1938-1944)
