Mark Stoops Dismisses Retirement Rumors: "Zero percent chance I do that"
The Kentucky football program is stuck in a rut. The Wildcats are 3-6 with only one win in SEC play. An eight-year bowl streak will come to an end if Kentucky does not win out.
The dip in production is in Mark Stoops‘ 12th season in Lexington. He has more wins than any other coach to lead this program, but there are some folks who are antsy for a change.
Stoops will not be terminated. Notwithstanding the $44 million buyout, the head coach has earned a little leeway that he’s using up this fall. That’s led some folks to speculate that he may step down at the end of the year and call it quits on coaching.
That speculation didn’t appear out of nowhere. Stoops and Texas A&M had a very public flirtation a year ago and there was a moment where most Kentucky football fans thought he was on his way to College Station.
That’s the most obvious sign that his time may be nearing an end. There have been others. Over the summer, he used colorful language to complain about fundraising. That was a point of conversation multiple times during today’s press conference.
As more and more chatter percolates around Big Blue Nation, John Huang decided to ask Stoops point blank if there’s any merit to the speculation that he will retire at the end of the season.
Top 10
- 1Trending
UK upsets Duke
Mark Pope leads Kentucky to first Champions Classic win since 2019
- 2
Second CFP Top 25
Newest CFP rankings are out
- 3Breaking
5-star flip
Ole Miss flips Alabama WR commit Caleb Cunningham
- 4
Kirby Smart reacts
UGA coach responds to CFP Committee snub
- 5
Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee QB dealing with concussion ahead of Georgia game
“Zero percent chance I do that,” he quickly responded. “Next question.”
There you have it, folks. Zero. Percent.
There’s a reason why that question had not been asked. How else would he respond? “You know what, now that you mentioned it, I forgot to share that this is my last year.” Of course not. That would be silly.
This is Stoops’ job until it isn’t. For the final three games, he’s focusing on finishing a subpar season on a high note.
“We still have a quarter of the season left. It’s up to us on how we decide to finish,” Stoops said. ” I trust our team, I believe in our team, and we’ll be excited to get back on the field today.”
Want more coverage of the Cats? Join KSR+
KSR has been delivering UK Sports news in the most ridiculous manner for almost two decades. Now, you can get even more coverage of the Cats with KSR+. In the middle of a busy summer of recruiting for the basketball and football programs, now is the perfect time to join our online community. Subscribe now for premium articles, in-depth scouting reports, inside intel, bonus recruiting coverage, and access to KSBoard, our message board featuring thousands of Kentucky fans around the globe. Come join the club.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard