Kentucky seems to be embracing the 'Motivated Mark Stoops' movement

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops runs onto the field before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

If you have any presence at all on social media, one phrase surrounding the Kentucky football program has been impossible to avoid. “Motivated Mark Stoops” has taken off on the internet and the Big Blue Nation has ran full speed with this bit. What started as a self-depreciating joke after the Kentucky head coach told Matt Jones in a March interview that he was highly motivated to get the program back on track numerous times is now taking a different direction.

On 11 Personnel and the Kentucky Sports Radio show, we have pointed out that it would make a lot of sense for the football program in Lexington to lean into this internet meme and embrace the silliness of it. I think the program has gotten the message.

Motivation is becoming a popular term on Twitter/X. The program is seemingly leaning into it.

#MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/TKz6zonzfT
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) June 23, 2025

My dawg LD is MOTIVATED!!!! Let’s ride BBN! #GoCats https://t.co/Ix8haunHZQ pic.twitter.com/YfhYCjFJ7A
— Derek Shay (@CoachDerekShay) June 24, 2025

🔵⚪️ #BBN

LET’S GOOOO!!!! #Motivated pic.twitter.com/CCdE0g2DrI
— L'Damian Washington (@DrWashington_) July 1, 2025

The response to “Motivation Monday”, the motivated hash tag, and the motivated all caps edition have been received well by the Big Blue Nation both on social media and on KSBoard. One could say that the program has heard the outside noise and is leaning into the ridiculousness of this movement.

Stoops would tell anyone that would listen that he didn’t want to make any headlines this offseason. Instead, Kentucky has chosen to keep a low profile in an offseason where there was a ton of criticism. Now some of that criticism is slowly starting to go away thanks to this recent run on the recruiting trail. There is even a chance that fans get really excited if Matt Ponatoski commits to the Cats in the coming days. Leaning into the bit seems to be a good marketing and fan relation strategy for the program. Kentucky football has shown some self-awareness in a year where hot takes about the future have been unavoidable.

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I suspect this is only the beginning of the embrace. With Mark Stoops scheduled to speak with local media for the first time since spring practice ended in two weeks at SEC Media Days in Atlanta, we might even get to hear some more about this team’s motivation and how the fan base has become enamored with “Motivated Mark Stoops”.

No matter how silly, this could be a rallying call from program and the fan base heading into 2025. Now all we need is for Kentucky to start producing their own motivated graphics.

College football — what a sport.