Kentucky football was put into a pretty strangely precarious spot recently and is on the cusp of hiring its second running backs coach in less than two months preparing to welcome John Settle into the Wildcat fold.
Head coach Mark Stoops thought he had hired his man previously and Kentucky fans were excited when Jemal Singleton was named the new running backs/strength coach at the beginning of January. However, that excitement was short-lived when just a month later he accepted an NFL job as an assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fast forward to last Thursday when rumors began percolating around Madison, Wisconsin concerning Settle possibly departing a Badger program he has been part of for 11 years, including the last six under current head coach Paul Chryst. The new coach could be introduced on Monday.
Kentucky appears to fill the running backs coach void with John Settle
Settle made $420,000 in the 2020 fiscal year, and Singleton’s contract was believed to be roughly $500,000.
The new coach would bring with him a wealth of experience and an impressive resume to boot. The 55-year-old former pro-bowler has been at Wisconsin for a total of 10 years in two different stints (2006-2010,) (2015-2021.)
Settle has helped the Badgers produce a number of stellar backs in his time including future NFL backs such as Dare Ogunbowale, Alec Ingold, and Derek Watt.
He isn’t the only assistant coaches lured from the team and into the Southeastern Conference this offseason as Inoke Breckterfield left as well for the same defensive line coaching position at Vanderbilt. It will be a reunion on November 13 when UK travels to Nashville to face the Commodores.
SOURCE: #Wisconsin RB coach John Settle is expected to become the new running backs coach at #Kentucky. Should be official Monday.. The former NFL All-Pro has mentored a lot of elite backs with the Badgers, at Pitt and at Fresno, as an NFL assistant. @zach_barnett 1st reported
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) March 12, 2021
Settle also would bring a plethora of experience coaching in the NFL where he has served as a running backs coach with the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Carolina Panthers.
Before trading in the spikes for a clipboard Settle was a 4-year letter winner as a running back at Appalachian State University where he is third all-time in rushing with 4,409 yards, third all-time in career rushing touchdowns with 43, and is tied for the most rushing touchdowns in a game with five. Settle was a two-time All-American and the Southern Conference Player of the Year as a senior.
Despite that, he went undrafted but signed with the Atlanta Falcons. In 1988 Settle was selected as a first-team all-pro, and selected to the 1988 pro-bowl after he became the first undrafted running back in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season.
Wisconsin enjoyed much success in the rushing game during Settle’s tenure in Madison, in 2010 Wisconsin nearly became the first team to bolster three 1,000 yard rushers. In Settle’s latest stint with Wisconsin the team finished 52-16 and won three Big-10 West Division Titles. Wisconsin also saw wins in the Holiday, Cotton, Orange, and Pinstripe Bowls.
Settle was mic’d up for practice during the Big10 Network All-Access Bus Tour in 2019.
Should Settle come to Lexington Stoops again found a guy that embraces his other coaches’ philosophy. He would truly get what a role model and teacher they must be for their Wildcat team to succeed both on and off the field. Plus this could mean more end roads into the homes of normal Big Ten recruiting states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan.
In an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal prior to this past season, Cryst was asked about the contributions Settle brings to the team as a recruiter and mentor to the players.
"“I think coach Settle does a great job of kind of knowing what each guy needs and maybe where their strength is, kind of how they’re spending their time they want to devote to football, Even learning how to study film and learning how to self-evaluate. And that takes a coach, and that’s where I think coach Settle does a great job of truly assisting our guys and that’s as much of coaching as what to do on a play or what technique to use in different situations.”"
Settle also coached several All-Americans, and went on to send many running backs to the NFL. Stepping into the role would be easier due to an already extremely talented stable of running backs featuring Kavosiey Smoke, and Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Kentucky is set to begin spring practice next week so if this is true and finalized on Monday it will be a quick coach and player introduction, but what better way to get acquainted.