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The SEC Network is searching for the recipe for the perfect football coach, and Mark Stoops made the cut. Kentucky’s head coach will add his expertise in “culture/team development.” Sounds about right, doesn’t it? SEC Network analyst Gene Chizik agrees.
“The most important thing is building a team culture, building an identity with your football team and developing young players. Who has done that better than what Mark Stoops has done at Kentucky?”
“Four straight bowl games. This guy took a wide receiver and put him at quarterback last year and still won eight games in this league,” Chizik continued. “If you look on draft day, the players he’s developing – the Josh Allens nobody heard about – all of a sudden he’s the second or third or fourth pick in the draft. They’re starting to develop those guys on the NFL rosters, as well. His job has been incredible, what he’s been able to do at Kentucky.”
To be fair, Allen was the No. 7 pick in the NFL Draft. However, he did qualify for the green room, which means we’ll have this wonderful picture for all of eternity.
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Even though Kirby Smart got the nod for best recruiter, Stoops did earn a shoutout for “going into non-traditional SEC pipelines and pulling those players from the midwest.”
To see the full recipe, check out the entire segment here:
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