Mark Stoops details how he plans to prepare young players for hostile environment at Florida

Mark Stoops has never taken a ranked Kentucky team when he has traveled to Gainesville. After losing his first five matchups against Florida, Stoops finally won his first in The Swamp in 2018. It was also the program’s first win over the Gators since 1986. In 2022, he will now take his first Top-25 team to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this weekend.

Even so, this is a Wildcat team on the younger side when it comes to experience. If they want to sneak out with a massive road win to open conference play, they’ll need their youth to be ready. Stoops spoke about their young players during his press conference Monday. He said while he wants them to focus on themselves, the team must prepare them for what they’re walking into.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“You have to address it. You have to talk about it,” said Stoops. “The nice thing is we’ve had times even going down there when we weren’t very good early on and played well because there were some young guys who’d never been in that situation and really didn’t give a crap. There’s a fine line there with letting them be them but also preparing. As a team, you have to address that.”

Kentucky followed their 2018 win with a pair of losses to Florida in 2019 and 2020. However, they bounced back and won another massive one in 2021 in Lexington. This matchup has grown to become a bitter rivalry over the last several seasons and both programs seem to take it personally.

With both squads ranked Top-20 nationally, something’s gonna have to give. If Mark Stoops wants to avoid the early season loss, he will have to get plenty of preparation in before he sends his team out into The Swamp. Still, he also wants his players to enjoy the moment and play how he knows they can under the lights they’ll be under on Saturday night.

“It’s a loud, hostile environment…Going down there it’s very loud and a hostile environment so you have to prepare for it. You have to discuss it. You have to work on it,” said Stoops. “Some of these guys?…They’re who they are and you love that. Just let them go play.”

Florida’s win over then No. 7 Utah catapulted them onto the national scene. That leaves Kentucky in a favorable position on the road this weekend. Winning in Gainesville again would mean a lot for this season and to Mark Stoops’ program. If their young core can make a difference, it will certainly help them get back to the bluegrass with an impressive victory under their belt.