Kentucky Wildcats Football: Meet the New Coaches

Jul 17, 2013; Hoover, AL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops talks with the media during the 2013 SEC football media days at the Hyatt Regency. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

In case you all didn’t notice, Kentucky hired a new football coaching staff for the 2013 season.

There were no holdovers from Joker Phillips’ staff. Former Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops is now the head coach of your Kentucky Wildcats and while he has yet to coach a game, he has exceeded expectations on nearly every level. Excitement and fan interest is remarkably high following a 2-10 season and preceding what is expected to another tough one.  Recruiting has reached an all-time high, with Kentucky landing their best-ranked class ever in 2013 and currently sitting in the top five according to Rivals. This all started with Stoops and the staff that he hired. So here is a little info about each:

Name: Mark Stoops

Title: Head Coach

Years Experience: 19

The youngest of the prestigious Stoops family is in his first head coaching job after nearly two decades as an assistant. He comes to Lexington from Florida State where he was able to transform the Seminoles defense from one of the worst in the country to one of the best in short order. Kentucky fans hope that his golden touch continues. A surprising hire for a school that has long focused it’s grid-iron efforts on offense, Stoops’ hiring has been met with near-universal praise by fans and the media. He was able to assemble a dynamite staff and got nearly every man that he wanted to work with him. He has spent nearly most of his career at BCS schools and his connections were on display when hiring a staff. Primarily coaching defensive backs during individual drills, Stoops has put numerous players in the NFL such as Ed Reed, Brandon Meriweather, Sean Taylor, and Antrel Rolle. Coach Stoops and his wife Chatel have two sons.

Name: Neal Brown

Title: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach

Years Experience: 10

So many people rejoiced when Brown was hired. Not only does he plan on bringing the “Air Raid”  back to Kentucky, as so many fans have pined for since Hal Mumme departed, but his is a Kentuckian and former Wildcat himself. Brown has risen quickly through the coaching ranks from a graduate assistant at Umass to position coach at Delaware to offensive coordinator at Troy within five years. He then took the same job at Texas Tech, where his offenses finished in the top 15 nationally each year. Coach Brown and his wife Brooke have two children.

Name: DJ Eliot

Title: Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach

Years Experience: 14

Eliot has followed Coach Stoops around for much of his career. Most recently at Florida State where he coached several future NFL draft picks and was considered an excellent recruiter. Seminole fans were not happy to see Eliot leave. He is considered one of the bright young minds in college coaching and will coach linebackers for the Wildcats. He has already been instrumental in recruiting, specifically his relationship with All-American Jason Hatcher. Coach Eliot and his wife Miekel have three children together.

Name: Bradley Dale Peveto

Title: Special Teams Coordinator/ Safeties Coach

Years Experience: 25

Peveto is a character. Kentucky fans will love him, especially when he starts doing more interviews. Peveto is already semi-famous for his line “ When Mark Stoops tells you it’s Easter, you dye your eggs” Very experienced, he coached at LSU when the Tigers last won the national title and recently was a head coach himself at Northwestern State. Because of his personality, Peveto is also a hit with recruits. He and his wife Melissa have two children.

Name: Vince Marrow

Title: Tight Ends Coach

Years Experience: 6

Marrow is pretty well known by most fans at this point. His recruiting connections in Ohio and the Midwest have been the driving force behind Kentucky’s surge in the rankings. A former NFL player, Marrow has coached in various leagues, including NFL Europe. A childhood friend of Mark Stoops, he was coaching under fellow Youngstown native Bo Pelini at Nebraska when Stoops came calling. Coach Marrow and his wife Monique have five children. His son Mike plays fullback for Nebraska.

Name: Chad Scott

Title: Running Backs Coach

Years Experience: 6

Another former Wildcat come home to coach, Scott played at Kentucky for two years before transferring to North Carolina. He has worked under Neal Brown at both Troy and Texas Tech. Despite a pass-first reputation, TTU averaged 135.7 rushing yards per game during Scott’s tenure there. He has recruiting connections in Florida. Coach Scott and his wife Shambrica, a former Kentucky basketball player herself, have two children.

Name: Tommy Mainord

Title: Wide Receivers

Years Experience: 12

Mainord also comes from Texas Tech, having worked with Neal Brown for the last three years. Not billed as a great recruiter when he was hired, Mainord’s main connections are in the JUCO ranks and he has landed a few high school prospects as well. He is actually the person who created the #Yahtzee craze on Twitter and still produces some of the more creative ones. His father was also a college coach. Mainord and his wife Tiffany have two children.

Name: Jimmy Brumbaugh

Title: Defensive Line Coach

Years Experience: 9

After playing at Auburn and short stints in the pro ranks, Brumbaugh has spent his coaching career around some pretty good coaches and has developed into one himself. He has coached two players into NFL draft picks, including first-rounder Chandler Jones. Brumbaugh came to Kentucky from East Mississippi Junior College where he coached recent Wildcat signee Za’Darius Smith to be the top JUCO DE in the country. Coach Brumbaugh and his wife Kelly have two children.

Name: John Schlarman

Title: Offensive Line Coach

Years Experience: 8

Another Kentucky native and UK alumni , Schlarman also spent 5 years as a high school head coach before taking the job at Troy. He worked under Neal Brown there and is familiar with the offense. His lines are typically well-coached and pave the way for a 149 yard per game average during his tenure. One of his former players, James Brown, currently plays for the Chicago Bears. Coach Schlarman and his wife Lee Anne have three children.

Name: Derrick Ansley

Title: Cornerbacks Coach

Years Experience: 9

Relatively the least experienced of the group, Ansley spent several years coaching at a small school and two as a graduate assistant at Alabama before coaching defensive backs at Tennessee last year. A young, energetic recruiter Ansley is very active on Twitter. While his #Pick-6 motto isn’t as popular as #Yahtzee, recruits really like to use it. He actually played defensive back at …Troy. Coach Ansley and his wife Alaea don’t have children at this point.