Mark Stoops gives honest response on whether he still enjoys coaching college football

When Mark Stoops took the Kentucky job back in 2013, things looked a whole lot different. Both inside the program and when looking at college football from a big-picture perspective. Stoops has found success in Lexington but the sport’s landscape has drastically changed.

So enter Year No. 13 at Kentucky, does Stoops still enjoy coaching college football? He gave an honest answer on Tuesday when asked the question ahead of spring practice.

“I enjoy it right now as much as I ever have,” Stoops said. “It is what it is. Last year was not what I wanted, not what anyone wanted. That falls squarely on me. There’s a lot of things you have to adapt to and one way or another, it ties back to me.”

Finishing 4-8 last season was not what anyone in Big Blue Nation expected. After a 3-2 record through five games, the final seven resulted in six losses and just one win against FCS Murray State. A shock was against Ole Miss was Kentucky’s only SEC win of the year to avoid a winless conference slate.

It was the program’s second losing season since 2016, with the other being 2020. A nice credit to the job Stoops has done to keep Kentucky a winning team for an extended stretch.

“I could not be more energized and focused and determined to get this thing back and keep rolling the program like we once did as good as anybody with the sustained success that we had for a long period of time,” Stoops said. “That is hard to do in our league. We’re highly motivated to get back on track and get going.”

The journey of getting back on the right track begins quite soon with spring practice on the horizon. A good chunk of players have been brought in via the NCAA transfer portal, most notably quarterback Zach Calzada. He might be the favorite to win the starting job ahead of the season opener against Toledo.

Stoops knows his team will need to show improvements over the coming months. Getting over last season’s failure appears to be a big motivator for the head coach.

“Nobody likes the year that we had but I like where we’re at right now,” Stoops said. “We’re aiming to push forward and aim for the future. It’s fun coming in early in the spring, attacking the day, and getting around these players and getting better.”