Latest news with #KentuckyFootball
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kentucky football's Mark Stoops is on ropes. But don't count him out in SEC
Kentucky football is in trouble. Mark Stoops is the only one who can save it, which may seem a bit ironic because he's been the coach for the past 13 seasons and is responsible for its current state. The Wildcats are coming off a 4-8 season last year and face the same SEC schedule that made them face three College Football Playoff programs last season in Texas, Georgia and Tennessee and two more programs that were on the periphery of an at-large bid in Ole Miss and South Carolina. In all, nine programs on UK's schedule played in a bowl game last season. Advertisement Having to go through the SEC gauntlet was among myriad reasons why plenty of Stoops' coaching peers and friends warned him not to take the job back in 2012: It's a basketball school. Its recruiting base is too shallow. Winning can't be sustained there. The Cats appear headed in the wrong direction, just as the program did back in 2012 when Stoops was hired, if he can't change course soon. The same reasons why he defied the naysayers back then are the same reasons why he could turn it around this season. Stoops saw enough potential in UK back then to take a chance. And entering a season in which the odds are once again stacked against the Cats might just be the place he needs to recalibrate what works in the program. Advertisement There are a number of memes circulating on social media of 'motivated' Mark Stoops, which initially was a sarcastic reference to an interview he had with Kentucky Sports Radio in the spring but has now morphed into a bit of a movement. The success he had — recording two 10-win seasons and taking the Cats to eight straight bowl games for the first time in program history — didn't come easy but was consistent enough to where Stoops may have gotten a bit too comfortable. He had some missteps like thinking his offensive coordinator was interchangeable. The Cats had a different OC in each of the past five seasons including new Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen coaching in 2021, leaving for a year and returning in 2023 — before heading back to the NFL. Bush Hamdan's return as offensive coordinator will mark the first time since Eddie Gran held the position from 2016-2020 that UK has had the same OC in consecutive years. Advertisement Continuity matters, which is why just the optics of former associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow leaving to become the general manager at rival Louisville after being in Lexington for the entirety of Stoops' tenure was a tough blow. But if we've learned anything about Stoops in his decade-plus in Lexington, it's that the man from Youngstown, Ohio, wasn't raised to back down from a fight. He's landed a few punches of his own in recruiting after Marrow's exodus with 15 commitments including quarterback Matt Ponatoski, a two-sport star from Cincinnati. UK also flipped receiver Denairius Gray earlier this month after he originally committed to Auburn. What matters, of course, is that Stoops gets some of those wins on the field next season. Kentucky hasn't had back-to-back losing seasons since posting identical 5-7 records in Stoops' second and third years at the helm in 2014 and 2015. Advertisement He's got a greater challenge now, maybe even monumental given the schedule. Then again, it's not much different than the low expectations he faced when he first took over the program. Stoops had unprecedented success then. There's no reason to believe he can't go out and do the same thing again. Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@ follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at to make sure you never miss one of his columns. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football: Mark Stoops might be answer to solve SEC struggles
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kendrick Law, Kentucky football transfer, ranks among top in EA Sports College Football 26
Kentucky football transfer Kendrick Law is one of the 10 fastest players on the new EA Sports College Football 2026 video game. Law, a wide receiver, is listed at No. 10 with a speed of 97, according to Law transferred to UK in the offseason after spending the previous three seasons at Alabama, where he caught 33 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown. Advertisement Former Kentucky wideout Barion Brown, now at LSU, is tied for the fastest speed in the game with a 99 rating. In Lexington, he accumulated 3,273 career all-purpose yards: 1,528 yards receiving, 195 yards rushing, 1,465 kick return yards and 85 punt return yards. He holds the SEC record for kick returns for touchdowns in a career (5). In three seasons with the Wildcats, he earned All-SEC honors and All-American honorable mention from Phil Steele as a return specialist. Another former Wildcat, Jordan Anthony, now at Arkansas, was also listed in the top five. Anthony excelled on the track more than on the gridiron for the Cats. He holds program records for freshmen in the 60-meter (6.55 seconds) and 100-meter dash (10.16) and earned silver medals in the 60-meter dash at the SEC and NCAA Indoor championships. Advertisement Anthony is also listed with a speed of 99. College Football 26 is set to be released Monday, July 7. Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@ and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: EA Sports College Football 26: Where Kentucky's Kendrick Law ranks
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Crucial season ahead for Stoops, UK
The last three college football seasons have been disappointing for Kentucky, especially the Wildcats' 4-8 finish last fall, and chatter around the program indicates that 2025 might be a make-or-break year for head coach Mark Stoops. Entering his 13th season in Lexington, Stoops is facing the challenge of turning the Wildcats' fortunates around. Since 2022, Kentucky has gone just 18-20 overall and 7-17 against Southeastern Conference opponents. Advertisement Part of that hopeful turnaround includes the addition of 26 new faces through the NCAA transfer portal — a group that 247Sports rates as the 10th-best transfer class in the nation. More than 30 players left UK since the conclusion of the 2024 campaign, and also gone is Vince Marrow, who's long been considered one of the best recruiters in college football. More so than anything, UK needs to right the ship after missing a bowl game for the first time in eight seasons. 'It just comes at perceptively a vulnerable time,' SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum said on his show. 'I'm sure you could spin it the other way: For all of Vince's greatness, the last two years sucked. 'Mark Stoops does not help himself very much because he can be surly. He can be defensive. ... It's not a good look when you do it in some of the circumstances he has done it in.' Advertisement The relationship between Stoops and the UK fan base has been up and down since 2023, when the coach countered NIL collective criticisms with a reply to 'pony up' the money to compete with the SEC's elite. At the end of that season, Stoops seemed set on leaving for another coaching job before Texas A&M changed its mind at the last minute. Instead, Stoops returned to UK, where he remains the longest-tenured coach in the SEC. His $9 million annual salary also ranks him as the 12th highest-paid coach in college football and fifth in the SEC. His contract runs through 2030, and if Kentucky wanted to move on from Stoops, a buyout would cost the school almost $45 million. Some critics say the results aren't worth the money. In a CBS Sports poll conducted last month, a panel voted Stoops as the No. 36 coach in college football. The Cats are widely expected to finish 14th in the 16-team SEC. In the last 12 years, Kentucky has struggled against top-10 teams and has had trouble competing following bye weeks. Advertisement However, the door is still open for Stoops to turn things around. 'Getting to a bowl, especially when you have a schedule like Kentucky's, is not impossible,' Finebaum said. 'If you win the four nonconference games — that includes beating Louisville — but that should not be impossible to do. 'I think a bowl game is possible. I think Stoops just has to show proof of life.' Inside the program, Stoops seems unfazed. Since Marrow's departure last week, UK has landed five commitments for 2026, including four-star safety Messiah Tilson out of Illinois. Derek Shay was promoted to tight ends coach to help replace Marrow after serving as Kentucky's senior offensive analyst and run game specialist. And workouts will continue this summer and into the fall. Advertisement In an interview with UK safety Ty Bryant for UK Sports Network, Stoops appeared ready for a bounce back. 'I love the fit,' Stoops said of the current state of the team. 'I like the way they've come in and really adapted, and I think we've been trying to be much more intentional about setting the standards — what is our culture, what we've been through for so many years — and setting that bar high and making sure the accountability piece is there, making sure the buy-in is there. I love this group.'
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New culture has four-star TE Lincoln Watkins ready to play for Kentucky
Kentucky moved quickly and now has a four-star tight end in its 2026 recruiting class. Port Huron (Mich.) Northern tight end Lincoln Watkins announced his commitment to the Wildcats. Watkins is the eighth known commitment of the cycle for the Wildcats as the program looks to jumpstart its recruiting efforts. This wasn't always the school that was in the picture for the Michigan playmaker. Back on June 10 he opted to reset his recruitment and open things up to new schools. At that point, his recruitment was a battle between Florida and Nebraska. Advertisement But just a few days after that Kentucky swooped in and offered him a scholarship. Watkins actually received the first phone call from new tight ends coach Derek Shay. The coach relayed to Watkins that the team had him as the number one tight end on the board and would be thrilled to have him. Then on June 17 he popped up for a mid-week official visit in Lexington. Watkins told Rivals what he was hoping to see during that visit. 'What Kentucky's plans are for me in the proceeding future and if this is a place I can truly be developed into the player I want to be,' Watkins told Rivals. RIVALS FIVE-STAR EVENT: Roster | ACC programs in the spotlight | Big Ten programs in the spotlight | SEC programs in the spotlight | Key QB storylines | Key RB storylines | Key WR storylines | Key TE storylines | Key OL storylines | Key DL storylines | Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy Advertisement BEST OF RIVALS CAMP SERIES: The five best QBs of the 2025 Rivals Camp Series regionals | Five best RBs | Five best WRs/TEs | Five best OL | Five best DL | Five best LBs | Five best DBs CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State During that visit Watkins saw what he needed. And now Kentucky is going to benefit from quickly moving into action after the Michigan native shook up his recruitment. The people at Kentucky and the environment on campus pushed things over the edge for Watkins. They made him feel like a huge priority too. Coach Mark Stoops sees Watkins as the type of player that can be thrown right into the action as a freshman. Advertisement 'Honestly, to be completely honest with you, what I'm most excited about is just the people here,' Watkins said. Coach Stoops and everyone made me feel so welcome and that's the main reason I picked them.' As a junior Watkins did a little bit of everything for Northern. He hauled in 39 catches for 668 yards, ran the ball for 245 yards and had 17 total touchdowns. For good measure, he chipped in 42 total tackles on defense. Watkins is just a good football player that you want to have on your team. He'll be a tight end in college and has the chance to excel in that role. He's got strong hands to make contested catches and good long speed. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH KENTUCKY FANS AT
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wisconsin football blue-chip safety target commits to an SEC program
Wisconsin football class of 2026 target, safety Messiah Tilson, committed to Kentucky on Monday. Tilson chose the Wildcats over the Badgers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Minnesota Golden Gophers. He recently trimmed a long list of interests to those final contenders, following official visits to Wisconsin on April 23, Kentucky on June 3 and Rutgers on June 6. Advertisement 247Sports lists Tilson as a four-star prospect. He's specifically ranked as the No. 402 player in the class of 2026, No. 38 safety and No. 11 player from the state of Illinois. His choice of Kentucky was a bit of a surprise after the 247Sports staff issued several crystal ball predictions favoring Rutgers. Wisconsin, however, appeared out of the picture. The blue-chip safety joins a Kentucky class of 2026 that now ranks No. 67 nationally with only six players committed. Meanwhile, Wisconsin sits at No. 35 in the national rankings with 13 commitments. With Tilson off to the Wildcats, the Badgers still have yet to add a blue-chip prospect to their class. Wisconsin's focus turns to top blue-chip targets WR Jayden Petit, RB Amari Latimer, OT Kamari Blair and athlete Jackson Ford. Commitments from that group are critical for the program to finish in the nation's top 30. Advertisement Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin recruiting target Messiah Tilson commits to Kentucky
