10 proven college football coaches who could outperform Mark Stoops for the same salary

Big Blue Nation is growing tired of Mark Stoops's inability to consistently win games or build a program beyond what it is now. In fact, most agree that he got them out of the dark ages, but it may be time to find the next coach to take them to the mountaintop. He is paid like a top-10 coach, yet we are getting mediocre coaching year in and year out.

The question that keeps coming up is, "Who else could Kentucky get?" I created a list of 5 potential replacements with ties to Kentucky. The list below is not that. These are simply people that you may be able to go after because Kentucky can pay top dollar for a football coach. These coaches don't really have ties to the Wildcats, but for $9 million a year, they'd listen.

This is a list of 10 coaches who are winners yet paid less than $9 million. Could any of these take Kentucky to the next level?

1. Rhett Lashlee

Current Position: Head Coach of SMU
Coaching Record: 23-10
Achievements: 2023 AAC Championship (undefeated season)
Salary: Undisclosed (Private University)
Notes: He beat Louisville last week, big fan of that.

2. Jamey Chadwell

Current Position: Head Coach of Liberty University
Coaching Record: 116-58
Achievements: 6 championships (Sun Belt, C-USA, Big South)
Salary: $4 million
Notes: Undefeated this season

3. Matt Campbell

Current Position: Head Coach of Iowa State
Coaching Record: 94-63
Achievements: Big 12 Coach of the Year (x3), MAC Coach of the Year, 2 MAC West Championships
Salary: $4 million
Notes: Ranked 9th in the AP Poll (as of this writing)

4. Dan Lanning

Current Position: Head Coach of Oregon
Coaching Record: 28-5
Achievements: N/A
Salary: $8.2 million
Notes: A little more money and getting back into the SEC could be a pull.

5. Jason Candle

Current Position: Head Coach of Toledo
Coaching Record: 69-37
Achievements: MAC Coach of the Year (x2), MAC Championships (x2)
Salary: $1.1 million
Notes: Undefeated in conference play last season

6. Kilane Sitake

Current Position: Head Coach of BYU
Coaching Record: 67-41
Achievements: N/A
Salary: Undisclosed (Private University)
Notes: Undefeated this season - currently ranked 13th in the AP Poll. He already wears blue and white.

7. Bret Bielema

Current Position: Head Coach of Illinois
Coaching Record: 120-76
Achievements: Super Bowl Champion as assistant coach to Bill Belichick, Championships in the Big-10, Big-10 Coach of the Year
Salary: $6.65 million
Notes: He did not do great in his first stint in the SEC with Arkansas 29-34 but has put the Illini into the AP Poll at 22.

8. Matt Entz

Current Position: Assistant Head Coach for USC
Coaching Record: 60-11
Achievements: FCS Coach of the Year awards, FCS Championships
Salary: $900k (estimated)
Notes: Never was the head coach at the FBS level but tore it up in the FCS.

9. Curt Cignetti

Current Position: Head Coach for Indiana University
Coaching Record: 125-35
Achievements: Multiple coach of the year awards and multiple championships at the FCS level and in the Sun Belt Conference.
Salary: $4 million
Notes: Dominated at the FCS level and Indiana snatched him up. He has barely been at Indiana so it's probably not a realistic grab but worth mentioning.

10. Gary Patterson

Current Position: Retired (not coaching)
Coaching Record: 181-79
Achievements: One of the most decorated coaches of all time. He has many awards and many championships under his belt. Feel free to look up all his accolades.
Salary: $0
Notes: He currently is not coaching but hasn't ruled out a return to coaching after he left TCU in 2021. He served as a consultant for Baylor for a bit and then Texas but is currently unemployed. He would be a name to call even if he doesn't want to get back into coaching.