Mike Stoops checks specific boxes for Kentucky football

On Friday afternoon, Football Scoop reported that Mark Stoops is bringing older brother Mike Stoops to the University of Kentucky.

After spending six years together at the University of Arizona where Mark served as Mike’s defensive coordinator in the Pac-12, the brothers will have a reunion in the SEC.

Kentucky has now filled every opening on its coaching staff heading into the 2022 season. To replace Jon Sumrall, Mark Stoops is hiring a familiar face that will bring a ton of experience into the Joe Craft Football Training Facility.

Coordinator track record

In 2020, defensive coordinator Brad White was in his second season making the play calls in Lexington, but game-planning for those live-action moments is not a one-man operation. When scheming up the week, White leaned on both Steve Clinkscale and Sumrall when coming up with plans for opponents.

After two seasons, both coaches moved on to other job opportunities. To replace Sumrall, Mark Stoops needed experience and someone with a big picture view.

“There’s a lot of things to take into consideration,” Kentucky’s head coach told reporters in December. “You’ve got recruiting, you obviously have coaching. But for me it’s also big picture, guys. This game is hard and complicated, and you really have to stay up. You need multiple coordinators on each side of the ball, so you need guys with great experience and big-picture ideas so that position will definitely — that will be one thing if you’re asking one thing specifically I want to make sure I have a coordinator type of big-picture guy that can help us, that can help Brad and help our defensive staff continue to grow and get new ideas and stay up with the times because this game evolves constantly.

Mike Stoops certainly checks that box.

The 60-year-old coach was the head coach at Arizona for eight seasons from 2004-11. Before that, Mike Stoops had defensive coordinator duties at Kansas State and Oklahoma for eight seasons from 1996-03.

After being let go from Arizona, Mike Stoops returned to Oklahoma to serve as the defensive coordinator for eight more seasons. Add that all up, and it’s 24 years spent as Power Five head coach or defensive coordinator.

That is what Mark Stoops wanted.

Saban stamp of approval

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is the best to ever do it in college football. On Monday, the 70-year-old coach will be searching for his eighth national championship. Saban has built a dynasty in Tuscaloosa thanks to a detail-oriented process.

Part of that process is to have a support staff that some would consider a small army. In that staff will be numerous quality control assistants or analysts who will do some off-field tasks such as advanced scouting for upcoming opponents, review practice tape with on-field coaches, and assist the recruiting department with any needs.

More often than not, this is a place for experienced coaches who were fired to come and rehab their careers.

In 2016, Maryland head coach Mike Locksley and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian both served as offensive analysts while Lane Kiffin called plays. In 2020, Mike Stoops was on the support staff with Butch Jones and Charlie Strong.

Saban provides a rehab home to prominent coaches. After two years, Mike Stoops took things in from the best organization in college football and will help bring some of those fresh ideas to Kentucky after one season running the defense at Florida Atlantic.

An old hand in the defensive room

Last offseason, Mark Stoops brought in 35-year-old Liam Coen to run the offense at Kentucky. However, it was the young coach’s first year in the Power Five. To support him, Stoops also brought in running backs coach John Settle and offensive line coach Eric Wolford as guys with multiple decades of experience at the highest level of college football.

That combination allowed the Wildcats to put together a top-25 product on offense this season.

On the other side of the football, Kentucky is very young. Safeties coach Frank Buffano, defensive backs coach Chris Collins, and defensive line coach Anwar Stewart were all brought as full-time on-field assistants in the last two seasons. Each is on their first Power Five coaching staff.

Meanwhile, White is still under 40 years old and was new to the big-time college football when Mark Stoops brought him over in 2018 after an extended period with the Indianapolis Colts. Kentucky’s defensive staff room is young.

Mike Stoops will help change that.

With the enhanced salary pool, Kentucky now has more financial support for the program. That means Mark Stoops can bolster up support staff, have more flexibility for recruiting operations, and can pay good coaches to come and work in Lexington.

Combining experience with youthful coaching talent appears to be the recipe for Kentucky. During the 2021 season, former offensive coordinator Eddie Gran was brought back into the fold to serve as special assistant to the head coach.

Kentucky now spends money like a big boy college football program. Mark Stoops is choosing to combine experience with talent to give the Wildcats a chance to compete at the highest level on Saturdays.