Mark Stoops pledges to fix Kentucky's roster this offseason

Rivalry week has arrived in the Bluegrass. Kentucky will be making a QB change on Saturday afternoon when Jeff Brohm‘s second Louisville team rolls into Kroger Field looking to end a five-game losing streak in the Governor’s Cup series. Kentucky is all-in on game prep this week but there is no hiding from what’s around the corner.

The early signing period will be here on Dec. 4. That is followed the winter transfer portal window beginning on Dec. 9. Roster-building season has arrived. Kentucky has a lot to accomplish this offseason. Mark Stoops believes that the program is in a good place heading into this critical month.

“Nobody needs to panic. We have an opportunity to get this roster fixed and work hard. That’s my plan. To work hard to get the pieces in place. I’ve worked hard to get resources in place,” Stoops explained. “I have to do that. We have to get it done. That’s the plan.”

How does Kentucky get the roster fixed? Likely by adding more than a handful of starters from the transfer portal. Those types of players cost money. Mark Stoops has discussed the demand for NIL fundraising and how important it is. Despite some of the complaining, Stoops says that Kentucky has the resources needed to go get free agents. The Wildcats have never been this well equipped to go attack the portal.

“We’re in a better position right now than I’ve ever been. So hopefully that’ll carry over,” Stoops explained. “That doesn’t mean its an end all be all, but we’ve worked hard behind the scenes to put ourselves in a position to try to catch up.”

But college football organizations must always stay flexible in team building. After expecting roster sizes to balloon to 105 scholarships thanks to the House vs. NCAA settlement, SEC schools were informed that roster size would be staying at 85 scholarships in 2025. That has created a numbers crunch throughout the conference. Kentucky will need more roster attrition than normal to adequately recruit the portal for starters.

Kentucky will look to retain their best players on the roster but there will be two-way player movement in December.

“We’ve been very successful at that but it’s always a different time and a different age,” Stoops said when asked about roster retention. “We will get into all that. Behind the scenes, we have to anticipate, look at things, have a feel for that. Quite honestly, we need some attrition but obviously we want to keep our best players here and build that foundation and take care of those players and then go out and supplement and bring in some as well.”

A critical month awaits Kentucky in December. Mark Stoops and his program seem ready. Head on a swivel season officially arrives on Saturday afternoon.