[RunItUpTheGut]

Not sure how old you are but Jerry Claiborne was a great football coach! BlackCatAlum hit the nail on the head about the "lack of a financial commitment from the UK administration"!

Great football coaches win national titles.
If you don't, you are not "great".

In other words we haven't had one.

All I ever hear is lack of financial commitment and lack of this and lack of that.

It's simple. Get a coach who can recruit and can actually coach. Its not hard.
Stoops is making over 2 million a year. I find it hard to believe we can get a good coach who can atleast win the SEC East on more than 2 million a year. He may not win it every year, but then again, who cares. At least show some progress. If Stoops record doesn't improve by 2 wins a year for the first 4 years, than its time for him to go.

[honestjchsfan]

Great football coaches win national titles.
If you don't, you are not "great".

In other words we haven't had one.

All I ever hear is lack of financial commitment and lack of this and lack of that.

It's simple. Get a coach who can recruit and can actually coach. Its not hard.
Stoops is making over 2 million a year. I find it hard to believe we can get a good coach who can atleast win the SEC East on more than 2 million a year. He may not win it every year, but then again, who cares. At least show some progress. If Stoops record doesn't improve by 2 wins a year for the first 4 years, than its time for him to go.

If you were talking about College basketball I would agree with your statement that "Great Coaches win national titles" College Football has always been more of a popularity contest and very seldom has the best team at the end of the year been crowned Champ! IMO the best D-1 College Football Coach of my lifetime has never won a National Title and that man is Bill Snyder of Kansas ST! He took the very worst D-1 program and turned them into a winner! IMO Nick Saban is OVERRATED his last 2 National title teams at Bama LOST AT HOME and this year's Bama team loses on the road and don't get to play for the title????:igiveup: If Mechanic-A starts with a nothing junk yard and builds a record setting car and Mechanic-B starts with a NASCAR garage and builds a record setting car in the same class, who is the better Mechanic??? IMO Mechanic-A is because he started with less and had to rely more on skill, experience and knowledge! IMO there is only a few truly great coachs in the college game and Nick Saban is not one of them. Even Bill Curry won the SEC title at BAMA, it's so easy a Caveman can do it then!

[insideinfo]

If you were talking about College basketball I would agree with your statement that "Great Coaches win national titles" College Football has always been more of a popularity contest and very seldom has the best team at the end of the year been crowned Champ! IMO the best D-1 College Football Coach of my lifetime has never won a National Title and that man is Bill Snyder of Kansas ST! He took the very worst D-1 program and turned them into a winner! IMO Nick Saban is OVERRATED his last 2 National title teams at Bama LOST AT HOME and this year's Bama team loses on the road and don't get to play for the title????:igiveup: If Mechanic-A starts with a nothing junk yard and builds a record setting car and Mechanic-B starts with a NASCAR garage and builds a record setting car in the same class, who is the better Mechanic??? IMO Mechanic-A is because he started with less and had to rely more on skill, experience and knowledge! IMO there is only a few truly great coachs in the college game and Nick Saban is not one of them. Even Bill Curry won the SEC title at BAMA, it's so easy a Caveman can do it then!

I will take Saben and take my chances.

[T-CATS]

Kentucky is going to have get every kid that slips through the cracks to ever compete with the big boys in the SEC and the kid from WVA who tied the NCAA record for punt return TDs as a freshman would have looked GREAT in Lexington!

[BlackcatAlum]

Great football coaches win national titles.
If you don't, you are not "great".

In other words we haven't had one.

All I ever hear is lack of financial commitment and lack of this and lack of that.

It's simple. Get a coach who can recruit and can actually coach. Its not hard.
Stoops is making over 2 million a year. I find it hard to believe we can get a good coach who can atleast win the SEC East on more than 2 million a year. He may not win it every year, but then again, who cares. At least show some progress. If Stoops record doesn't improve by 2 wins a year for the first 4 years, than its time for him to go.

Kentucky football has been damned since Bear Bryant left. All the focus was on UK basketball. Bryant had UK football as one of the best in the country and left because it was always basketball at UK.

And for you to say that it's easy to find a coach who can recruit is hysterical. Do you really believe the things that you type? Recruiting at UK for football isn't exactly easy by any means. What kids from the south or Ohio grow up dreaming to play for Kentucky football? None. In the state most do, but usually the more highly rated local kids bounce out of state. You should know, Kentucky doesn't produce 30+ D1 players like the rest of the South and Ohio.

Hopefully one day UK football is able to compete for a conference championship, but it's going to be tough, when you're competing against at least 6 of the better teams in the country. Winning 7, 8, 9 games a season would be great at UK. Expecting a SEC title or national title is just way too far of a stretch. Hopefully one day though.

[Quickkickonthird]

I agree with a lot of what has been said previously but I have a question that I think is important. What are we looking for out of a UK coach? Success is one of those words that means different things to different people. Is it consistent 7 win seasons? 8 wins? 10 wins? SEC championships? Playing for nat championships? What exactly do we want? I know exactly what I want.....I want to go into every game knowing we have a LEGITIMATE chance. We havent had a shot at Florida since Moses was a kid. Like every other coach since Fran Curci, I wish Stoops the best and think he has the experience and pedigree to get the job done. Im not asking for a top 5 team every year but I would sure like to start seeing a fairly consistent top 25 team. I know other posters will shread this post but these are my thoughts and I have been a loyal UK fan for many, many years and will continue to be! Im one of those old guys that are still proud of players like Art Still.

[honestjchsfan]

I agree with a lot of what has been said previously but I have a question that I think is important. What are we looking for out of a UK coach? Success is one of those words that means different things to different people. Is it consistent 7 win seasons? 8 wins? 10 wins? SEC championships? Playing for nat championships? What exactly do we want? I know exactly what I want.....I want to go into every game knowing we have a LEGITIMATE chance. We havent had a shot at Florida since Moses was a kid. Like every other coach since Fran Curci, I wish Stoops the best and think he has the experience and pedigree to get the job done. Im not asking for a top 5 team every year but I would sure like to start seeing a fairly consistent top 25 team. I know other posters will shread this post but these are my thoughts and I have been a loyal UK fan for many, many years and will continue to be! Im one of those old guys that are still proud of players like Art Still.

Fran Curci proved that it is possible to win SEC titles at UK! That 77' team that went 6-0 in the SEC was a team built around a strong defensive unit. IMO building a great D is the key to building UK football as a whole! I think Stoops is on the right track. Curci made some mistakes but had one or two recruiting classes that were loaded. Curci was one of the first to recruit the state of Florida. The reason I like Coach Stoops is because he is a Defensive Coach and understand the type of talent that it takes to win in the SEC and makes a effort to recruit that talent. Jerry Claiborne tired to build his teams with talent that was mainly from the state of Kentucky. Claiborne was never able to get over the hump with the talent that he recruited. Hal Mumme's teams were some of the worst overall teams in the history of UK football because his whole recruiting focus was on the Offensive side of the ball, he used washed out QB's at LB and his best D-linemen was a guy that ate his way out of the H-back spot he was recruited for. Mumme's successful years at UK were with Bill Curry's recruits and once Curry's recruits were gone things got bad fast for Mumme. Mumme's teams were terrible at the kicking game, terrible on D and it took years for the program to recover. My hope for the UK football program is that Stoops can get the Cats back to were Rich Brooks had them in a few years, and then build a program that about every 3 or 4 years is in the hunt for the SEC title.

[insideinfo]

I agree with a lot of what has been said previously but I have a question that I think is important. What are we looking for out of a UK coach? Success is one of those words that means different things to different people. Is it consistent 7 win seasons? 8 wins? 10 wins? SEC championships? Playing for nat championships? What exactly do we want? I know exactly what I want.....I want to go into every game knowing we have a LEGITIMATE chance. We havent had a shot at Florida since Moses was a kid. Like every other coach since Fran Curci, I wish Stoops the best and think he has the experience and pedigree to get the job done. Im not asking for a top 5 team every year but I would sure like to start seeing a fairly consistent top 25 team. I know other posters will shread this post but these are my thoughts and I have been a loyal UK fan for many, many years and will continue to be! Im one of those old guys that are still proud of players like Art Still.

Going in to ever game,home or away thinking we have a chance to win would be a huge improvement. There is no way we should ever lose to any opponent 5 times in a row much less 20 or more, just embarrassing.

[Pick6]

I believe the UK football critics need a reality check before being too hard on the program. First of all, the talent pool in KY is simply not what it is in FL, GA, SC, AL, LA or even MS or TN. You simply don't see many 5 star recruits coming out of KY. Second, if you are a 5 star recruit, who wants to play at a basketball school?

That being said, when you look at what Duke has accomplished in the last two years, you have to say why not UK? Of coarse, the ACC is not the SEC. First order of priority is getting QB into the system that can make good decisions and deliver the ball effectively to talented play makers. At the moment, both are missing.

[Quickkickonthird]

I believe the UK football critics need a reality check before being too hard on the program. First of all, the talent pool in KY is simply not what it is in FL, GA, SC, AL, LA or even MS or TN. You simply don't see many 5 star recruits coming out of KY. Second, if you are a 5 star recruit, who wants to play at a basketball school?

That being said, when you look at what Duke has accomplished in the last two years, you have to say why not UK? Of coarse, the ACC is not the SEC. First order of priority is getting QB into the system that can make good decisions and deliver the ball effectively to talented play makers. At the moment, both are missing.

I think that you are basically right about Ky's talent pool but in Bear Bryant's coaching book, he says that to be a big-time program you have to dominate your own state's recruiting and I dont remember UK ever being at that point. We consistently lose what few big time recruits that we have. You dont see that happen in basketball, LOL!

[Pick6]

Hasn't Stoops signed both Elam and Barker? Both Mr.KY Football candidates? Thats a pretty good start.

[BlackcatAlum]

Elam makes his decision during the Army All-American Bowl Saturday.

Will be choosing between UK and Alabama.

Looks like it's UK though.

[Quickkickonthird]

Hasn't Stoops signed both Elam and Barker? Both Mr.KY Football candidates? Thats a pretty good start.

Its absolutely a good start. Thats one of the reasons that I said I had high hopes for Stoops. Im simply saying that almost every little child who first starts bouncing a ball in this state sees himself with a Kentucky jersey on someday and it just isnt that way with football. I would like to see it get to the point that it almost goes without saying that Ky's best prepsters want to go to Kentucky! I know that will take years to get to that point, if ever, but I have been a fan for years. Again, I like what Stoops has done in recruiting so far but, to keep it going, some success ON the field is going to have to occur/

[Big Five-0-]

Ive been saying exactly what insideinfo is saying for the last year and a half.
Towles should have been started the last two seasons. He would have had time to develop and grow as a QB. He would already be in the system and know what to do.

Instead, we play guys like Max smith and whitlow who may be the two worst QB's in the big 6 conferences.
These guys are not QB's. Smith should be a 3rd string punter and Whitlow should be a slot receiver.

IF Stoops starts Smith or Whitlow again next year, then I will expect nothing but the same we got out of Joker which is complete failure.

Got to agree with your post. UK fans better hope this doesn't happen.

[Mix1]

Smith or Whitlow will never see another down at QB while in a UK uniform. Whitlow is being switched to WR. Barker will be the starter next fall with Reese being his backup. The reason Neil couldn't run the airraid was because he didn't have any players to run it. You can't expect 2 QBs that had zero D1 offers to spread the field to open up for the air raid. Look for 4-5 wins next year and year 3 will see a 7 win team. If Stoops is the man that is. Yall have no idea how bad Jokers recruiting was the last 2-3 years. His players averaged under a 3* rating. Stoops has a top 15 class,, still only good enough for 8th best in the SEC. He has the players now,, let's see if he can coach like his brothers.

Mix1...

[honestjchsfan]

[honestjchsfan]

Smith or Whitlow will never see another down at QB while in a UK uniform. Whitlow is being switched to WR. Barker will be the starter next fall with Reese being his backup. The reason Neil couldn't run the airraid was because he didn't have any players to run it. You can't expect 2 QBs that had zero D1 offers to spread the field to open up for the air raid. Look for 4-5 wins next year and year 3 will see a 7 win team. If Stoops is the man that is. Yall have no idea how bad Jokers recruiting was the last 2-3 years. His players averaged under a 3* rating. Stoops has a top 15 class,, still only good enough for 8th best in the SEC. He has the players now,, let's see if he can coach like his brothers.

Mix1...

Max Smith had a lot of talent when he arrived at UK but he was threw into the fire as a true Freshmen and Smith was hurt both seasons that he played for Joker. Joker screwed up Morgan Newton and had ran the kid from Texas off (Moss)so instead of developing Smith the right way, Joker threw him too the SEC wolves. Joker had to worry about saving his job! I think Stoops and his staff handled the QB position well this past season. They redshirted the OB's that needed redshirted and played the guys that had played a lot in the past. They found out that Smith can no longer make all the throws that is needed for Neal Browns system and that Whitlow is not a very accurate passer also. I think next season that the QB job at UK will be won by either Towles or Phillips and Barker will be redshirted. I think Phillips is the favorite. I look for them to name there starter after Spring ball and stick with him.

[Mix1]

Barker isn't enrolling early to redshirt. You can take that to the bank. Reese showed enough towards the end to start but stoops didn't wanna burn a redshirt on an already lost season. Smith may have had talent coming in, but neither him or Whitlow had any mid to high D1 offers for QB.

Mix1...

[honestjchsfan]

Barker isn't enrolling early to redshirt. You can take that to the bank. Reese showed enough towards the end to start but stoops didn't wanna burn a redshirt on an already lost season. Smith may have had talent coming in, but neither him or Whitlow had any mid to high D1 offers for QB.

Mix1...

Neal Brown already said on KSR that Barker will be competing for that starting job. IMO they are going to play it safe with Barker. They also said moving Whitlow to WR has never been discussed. I don't see Neal Brown putting up with Whitlows inconsistent play again next season. I look for him to be 3rd on the depth Chart or transfer.