Kentucky Football: Robinson, Scalzo highlight Stoops’ players first mentality

Mark Stoops employes a different player’s first mentality for Kentucky football.

Early on in John Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky, fans were introduced to the phrase “players first.” It’s a line he’s uttered consistently over the course of the last 12 years. He even included it as part of the title of a book he wrote in 2014. But Kentucky football has a different take.

This phrase is most commonly associated with the idea that a player’s success is equally, if not more important than team success; measured by the first-round draft picks against NCAA Tournament wins. It is Calipari’s belief that putting players first will lead to wins and championships, and it has. But it’s more so a philosophy about ensuring that no matter what, you put the player’s best interests ahead of all else.

On the other side of campus Mark Stoops has deployed a similar approach in building and maintaining the Kentucky football program. In the case of Stoops, it has come across in different ways.

Last week provided two prime examples, showing that Kentucky football is about doing right by the players. When putting together the 2019 recruiting class, Kentucky had secured a commitment from the highly coveted in-state product, Wan’Dale Robinson. This commitment lasted all of a month, with Robinson flipping on the Cats and signing with Nebraska.

Kentucky took the high road, wishing Robinson well and burning no bridges in the process. Rather than making disparaging comments publicly, Stoops and company accepted that Robinson had made the decision he felt was in his own best interest.

This meant following the announcement last week that Robinson would be entering the transfer portal with the intent to find a place to play closer to home, Kentucky was still in play for his services. If Kentucky was now the place Robinson wanted to be, a scholarship was still there for him two years later.

Many may say this is an easy decision for a coach to make. Robinson is an elite talent and can fill a needed void for Kentucky and help win football games. But to say this is common would show a lack of understanding of football recruiting and how these things work.

Coaches don’t just do this. To willingly accept a player that flipped on you just before signing day years prior shows an attitude from Stoops that this program is about the player. There is no ill will or lingering resentment from the coaching staff. It was about what was best for Robinson two years ago and still is today.

Robinson made it official late last week and signed with Kentucky.

Following Robinson’s commitment, Stoops made the following statement:

"“We’re grateful to have Wan’Dale come back home to Kentucky. He’s a dynamic playmaker and we welcome him into our program.”"

It’s not just that home meant Kentucky; it’s that Kentucky was the home Wan’Dale Robinson needed, and a scholarship was there for him.

But what about a player who isn’t the dynamic playmaker that Robinson has shown himself to be. Does the same apply to a guy who has yet to see the field?

Two weeks ago, quarterback Nik Scalzo put his name in the transfer portal. His exit would mean the Wildcats were left with just Beau Allen, Joey Gatewood, and incoming freshman Kaiya Sheron on the depth chart. If one of, or both Allen and Gatewood were to struggle, or even worse, get injured, they would be left with a true freshman signal-caller.

Scalzo was free to test the waters and see what opportunities may be out there for him. However, Stoops also gave Scalzo the option to return, should he feel Kentucky was where he wanted to be. It didn’t just stop there, upon his decision to return, Stoops still had a scholarship with his name on it.

Once Scalzo opted to enter the transfer portal, Kentucky was no longer bound to him. Mark Stoops was in no way required to hold a spot for him and certainly didn’t have to provide any sort of aid through a scholarship should he return.

The idea of a transfer was short-lived as last week 247Sports reported Scalzo had decided to pull his name back out of the transfer portal.

In his two years at Kentucky, Scalzo’s impact has been limited to running the scout team in practice.

Scalzo is not likely to start a game next season. While he does provide some sort of insurance to the program (as mentioned above) as the 3rd option for new offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Stoops could have easily moved on, just as Scalzo had shown he may have been interested in doing. Allowing him to return, while also guaranteeing he’d stay on scholarship, shows this was about doing what was best for the player.

That’s just who Stoops is.

It’s part of what makes him a coach guys love to play for and it’s part of what helped him turn around the trajectory of Kentucky football.

All coaches know about “X’s” and “O’s,” running, passing, and tackling. They all understand the importance of wins and losses. Stoops also knows how hard it is for young men in their late teens and early ‘20s to make tough decisions. He supports them at every turn.

His wins don’t just show on the scoreboard.