Mark Stoops dislikes group messages but always makes time for players

On the latest episode of Pin It Deep, Kentucky football alums Max Duffy and Miles Butler hosted their former head coach on the podcast. Head football coach Mark Stoops discussed a multitude of topics from coffee to his relationship with offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

However, one thing is clear when the ninth-year head coach answers questions from his former punters: Mark Stoops has a major soft spot for his players. The former defensive back coach tries very hard at the relationship-building part of his job and always takes time to be involved with his players.

“For me, there’s such a big obligation — to much is given, much is expected — and there’s a lot of people who expect a lot from me. And I feel that obligation,” said Stoops.

“I don’t do this for a paycheck. I do this for our players, our fanbase, this community. It’s way bigger than me. I tell y’all that when you play for me — it’s not about you. I don’t care who it is. It’s not about you. Well, the same thing, it’s not about me. At all. “

However, the 54-year-old has always been this way. Stoops has tended to be a players’ coach and will always be that way.

“Now that’s the en vogue thing to be, but I’ve been that for 35 years,” Stoops told KSR’s Pin It Deep. “It wasn’t cool to be like that. Now all of a sudden because of the transfer portal, you want to be a players’ coach but I’ve never apologized for that my whole life.

“I just feel like you get way more out of people if they know you care about them and you’re authentic. Then now I can pull the truth out of you because it’s like a bank. If I invest in you, there’s gonna be times where I gotta pull that out. If they don’t love, if they don’t believe you, and they know you’re fake you’re not getting that.”

However, Stoops isn’t up to date on all things in the modern world. The head coach doesn’t do group messaging preferring to keep his communication on a one-on-one basis.

“I can’t stand group messages,” said Stoops. “I can’t keep up with my phone. I really hate not getting back to people and because I appreciate them taking the time just to reach out to me, and I’m grateful. Right now I’m really having a hard time not getting back to people, but I can’t keep up with it. And there’s nothing worse than a group message where it’s just ding, ding, ding, ding.

Don’t we all hate that sound? The players might not be involved with group messages with their head coach, but they get him in just about every other facet of life. Even when it comes to dancing.

“The dancing was a work in progress,” Stoops said. “The older I get, the stiffer I get. Marquan [McCall] was trying to teach me some new stuff. They’re trying to educate me a little bit.

“Just ask Waka.”