Anonymous Coaches Believe Mark Stoops will Retire at Kentucky

Mark Stoops is preparing for his 12th season as the Kentucky football head coach. For a few hours on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2023, that was in doubt. Now others around the college football landscape believe the end of his head coaching tenure is on the horizon.

Smoke around a potential move for Stoops to Texas A&M started floating from College Station on Thanksgiving day. A few hours before a fifth-straight Kentucky victory in the Governor’s Cup, college football insiders reported Stoops was a legitimate candidate for the A&M coaching vacancy. A departure seemed imminent for a few hours late into the night until negotiations fell apart and Stoops announced he was staying in Lexington.

There was no serious fallout around the BBN following the flirtation between Stoops and Texas A&M, but it’s made many wonder how much longer the Kentucky head football coach will hold that position.

“How much longer will Sroops stay at Kentucky?” It’s a question I’m asked often both on and off the record from folks around the SEC. It also came up when SEC coaches were asked off the record for their opinions on various schools in an annual feature produced in the Athlon Sports College Football Preview Magazine.

“After the Texas A&M flirtation with Mark Stoops, a lot of us think he’s probably going to end up retiring from Kentucky in a few years. He’ll leave the game at a smart age, the way his brother (Bob) did,” said one anonymous coach.

Bob retired abruptly after 18 years at Oklahoma at age 56. Mark will turn 57 on July 9.

The line of thinking by this anonymous coach is logical, however, there’s one missing piece of this equation. If Stoops was seriously considering making another move, that means he was prepared to coach for at least five more years. Would that change overnight? I don’t think so. If he has five more years in the tank, there are a few things he needs to iron out first.

Questions Surround the Kentucky Offense

The same anonymous coach who believes Stoops is preparing for his final days in Lexington acknowledged that one problem must be addressed to completely have his affairs in order, the offense.

“They’ve got to rework the offense again. It’s remarkable in this league how often they lose offensive coordinators and the program doesn’t collapse.”

This is the fifth straight offseason that Kentucky is breaking in a new offensive scheme and play-caller. The lack of continuity is troubling, which is why insurances were built into Bush Hamdan’s contract. If Hamdan leaves before the conclusion of his second season, he will owe the university $1.5 million, more than he’s set to earn per year over his three-year contract.

In addition to turnover at offensive coordinator, there’s been plenty of turnover at the quarterback position. Brock Vandagriff will be the fourth day-one starter over the last five years. Hamdan has been tasked to find the right recipe for success with his scheme that matches the former five-star talent’s skillset.

“The measure for success is if they can install another new scheme to fit another new transfer quarterback,” another anonymous coach told Athlon.

One thing that is not up in question for coaches around the league is the Kentucky defense, particularly in the front seven. Deone Walker and Jamon Dumas-Johnson are All-American candidates who anchor an experienced group of run-stuffers.

“They might have one of the best defensive lines in the league and they’re really good at playing the run,” an anonymous coach remarked.

For more on the anonymous coaches’ comments about Kentucky, check out this conversation with Athlon’s Steven Lassan on That SEC Podcast.