Mark Stoops explains how he has built longevity within Kentucky's program
What Mark Stoops has built at Kentucky is nothing short of tremendous, and many in the college football world recognize that.
It’s the reason why many throw Stoops’ name out for bigger coaching opportunities, but he’s content to continue leading the Wildcats. Speaking with Kirk Herbstreit on ESPN’s College GameDay, Stoops elaborated on how he’s been able to keep the program trending in the right direction.
“I think you know, even last year, you’re still learning. You’re still growing. Always adapting to the new environment,” explained Stoops. “We’ve always prided ourselves on development. Bringing kids in and you know, maybe three-star kids. Two-star kids. Keeping them in our program, and physically and mentally developing them over years. Well things have changed. The portal have helped. We’ve recruited some really impact players from the portal. But the nucleus of who we are still has to stay that way.
“We want to be physical. We’ve been a bit inconsistent in the run game, I’d like to get back to that, as we’ve touched on. Getting the ball down the field. Defensively, we’ve been pretty solid, pretty stable, for a long time. We have to continue that. It’ll be a great challenge today. But I think it just starts with a mentality, a blue-collar work ethic and really developing our players.”
Alas, Mark Stoops and Kentucky have another shot at a huge win on Saturday, welcoming Florida to town. If the Wildcats can get a victory, the hype will continue to grow in 2023 for Stoops’ squad.
Tim Tebow reveals why Florida-Kentucky is a must-win for both programs
Moreover, two potential SEC East spoilers will face off this weekend when Florida takes on Kentucky in the Bluegrass State. Georgia is the unquestioned top dawg in the division but the spots behind it in the standings are up for grabs among the other six SEC East teams.
That backdrop is part of what makes the game so important, according to SEC Network analyst and former Gators star Tim Tebow. The former Heisman Trophy winner explained Friday on The Paul Finebaum Show why the game is so important to both teams.
“It’s a really important game for both teams,” Tebow said. “You look at this opportunity in the East: who’s going to really challenge Georgia in the East. Both these teams have a chance. And you’re looking at Missouri, they have another SEC game and they have a chance to be able to be 5-0. Every team’s got the opportunity to take that next spot. But this is going to be a really fascinating one because they’re also very similar. Both teams really good running the ball. Both teams really good against the run.”
Only one team can come out on top this weekend. It’ll be a fascinating one between Florida and Kentucky on Saturday.