[Cactus Jack]

My Case for Keeping Stoops:

#1. For Those Who Want Stoops Gone, Who Are You Suggesting We Realistically Hire, Especially Considering Buyouts, etc.?
Kentucky will be viewed as a basketball school first. Are fans willing to bet on our ability to catch lightning in a bottle by hiring and retaining an Urban Meyer as he leaves Bowling Green or Utah?

The Nebraska and Colorado jobs are widely viewed as better than, or at least equal to, Kentucky. We see how the splashy hires of the ex-NFL guy (Rhule) and influencer/recruiter (Sanders) are doing there.

Does a young coach take a look at how Stoops gradually elevated a Kentucky program that was frankly in terrible shape when he was hired only to be fired and have concern? Does the fact that Stoops' decline coincides with the implementation of NIL and see some validity in his divisive speech about donating to the NIL fund if you were unhappy?


#2. He's Already Been Good Enough to be Considered for the Expanded Playoff:
The next step for the program used to be a BCS bowl and is now making the playoff. Stoops likely doesn't win a national championship at Kentucky, but he's had seasons that would have at least had us in the conversation for a playoff spot in the new 12 team format. It's much more likely that the field expands to 14 (with the SEC and Big Ten champs getting byes) or 16 teams than the field contracting to 8 or 10 teams.


#3. I'm Probably Not As Concerned About His Style As You Are:
His best teams' calling card seems to be playing physical defense with a strong secondary and controlling the clock with physical backs running behind a stout offensive line. Sure, rock fights filled with high leverage possessions are the exact opposite of the video game numbers that most who want Stoops gone would want from the next coach on day one, but are is that sustainable for a completely rebuilding Kentucky in the SEC? And make no joke about it, Kentucky would probably be rebuilding if Stoops were to be fired anytime soon, otherwise they couldn't justify it unless they had someone who was unquestionably better waiting in the wings.

It isn't as if Stoops hasn't tried to open up the offense, and I'm fine with looking to add an offensive coordinator as the "missing piece" instead of risking it all by getting too gimmicky too soon.

As mentioned, we're already lagging in NIL funds and QB is the most expensive investment. I'm too risk averse to feel great about having my biggest investment drop back 40 times per week like I'm playing Madden or NCAA, at least with the resources we have right now. Kentucky isn't an Alabama, Georgia, or LSU that has the type of depth and NIL funds to be able to absorb a back-up QB that you can count on to win a conference game when your #1 is down.

Rock fights aren't pretty, but they keep you from getting blown out and those type of style points can matter when analysts are splitting hairs between who gets the #10, #11, and #12 seeds and who is watching the playoffs from home.


4. He's Making the Best of the Limited Resources He Currently Has:
Kentucky doesn't produce enough high school talent on its own to feed a perennial contender, especially when splitting with Louisville). This is where his ability to recruit in Ohio and the Detroit area is much needed. If he were replaced, we'd be asking his replacement to find that same type of base (i.e., getting fringe kids from a talent rich area that the stronger in-state traditional power wasn't willing to take a risk on).

If you'll remember, under Mumme, we ended up on probation when we tried to go into the Memphis/Nashville area and compete for kids with Tennessee and Alabama. Not as likely that we find ourselves on probation for trying to elbow in on other program's turf in the NIL era, but recruiting is still a cutthroat business and I'm not sure that anyone else we'd bring in has the advantage of having such a network in states that are so close to Kentucky but still not in the SEC. Kentucky has spent decades building bridges in Georgia, and Stoops has some connections in the Florida area from his days at Miami, so it honestly works about as well as you could ask. I'm thinking that the only way a recruiter could do much, much better is by going completely rouge and ending up with a situation like Briles' Baylor or Meyers' Florida where the recruiting wins end up coming at too much of a moral cost.