5 head coach replacements that Kentucky fans would hate more than Mark Stoops

There has been significant debate about replacing Mark Stoops this week, and while the vocal majority seems ready to move on. There is a contingent of fans shouting that this is the best coach Kentucky can get, so the Wildcats should keep him. Of course, this is a bit of a poverty mindset when they actually could go out and attract an up-and-coming coach, especially with a $9 million salary. However, for kicks and giggles - what are some coaches that would be worse?

1. Neal Brown

Wildcat Head Coach Mark Stoops has said some embarrassing things this week after the loss to Vanderbilt. Things like players can't play if they don't tie their shoes or that Vanderbilt beat them in NIL. However, Brown may actually have trumped those two statements with one of his own. After West Virginia's loss to Iowa State this week, he said, "I get that [the fans] want to win. But what I would say is - did they have a good time? Did they enjoy it? It was a pretty good atmosphere. I’m assuming they had a pretty good time tailgating, so if they’re in the deal for enjoyment then I would come back. I looked at the weather, and it’s going to be nice again."

Instead of winning, let's just enjoy the weather and have some fun at the stadium. This is either a guy who has watched a good deal of baseball with its 160-game schedule, and thus one loss is no big deal, or he has a worse mindset than fans, thinking Big Blue Nation can't do better than Stoops.

Current Position: Head Coach of West Virginia
Connection to Kentucky: Brown graduated and played football in Kentucky from 1998 to 2000. He also coached at Kentucky in 2013-2014 as the offensive coordinator.
Record: 69-48
Achievements: He does have a Sun Belt championship under his belt.

2. Bush Hamdan

There is some serious debate from Big Blue Nation on who is really at fault for the offensive struggles. The case is easy to make that it's actually Stoops, he is the most common denominator. However, Hamdan's offense has been lackluster all season. They have been undisciplined, and the play designs range somewhere between overly conservative to desperate with no in-between.

Hamdan hasn't had a great track record with the offense yet continues to get offensive coordinator jobs. He consistently runs offenses from Washington to Boise State to Kentucky that underutilize the talent on the roster. I could be wrong, and I would love to be proven that way, but so far, his stint at Kentucky has been frustrating at best.

Current Position: Offensive Coordinator - Kentucky
Connection to Kentucky: currently on the coaching staff
Record: N/A
Achievements: N/A

3. Joker Phillips

Might as well bring up Joker, as many fans are thinking about him in this debate about Stoops. Remember how far Stoops has brought Kentucky. We could go back to Joker. That may have been one of the lowest moments in the program. However, maybe I need to showcase how low we actually are with Stoops to help us move on.

Current Position: Assistant Head Coach of NC State
Connection to Kentucky: Played at Kentucky and was the Head Coach from 2010-2012
Record: 13-24
Achievements: N/A

4. Hugh Freeze

I mean, we could have Hugh Freeze as the Kentucky Head Coach. Stoops may say embarrassing things, but he isn't edging out recruits and making a fool of the program, all while crashing it into the ground. The crazy thing is, he was phenomenal at Liberty. He was even pretty solid at Ole Miss. However, the stuff he does off the field and the shady ways he runs the program always end up biting him in the rear. He continues to dupe the Auburn fanbase into "this next recruiting class is so good, so hang with me." While he loses game after game and looks nowhere near his rival in Alabama.

Current Position: Head Coach of Auburn
Connection to Kentucky: SEC Coach
Record: 82-57
Achievements: Sun Belt Championship and multiple Coach of the Year awards.

5. Billy Napier

I saved the best for last—or, I guess, with this list, it's the worst for last. He has been a winning football coach throughout his career, but like Freeze, he is beginning to see the fanbase turn against him. He continues to make weird and bad game management decisions, and Florida is in a low place in terms of expectations. Read this article to really get the feel for how the fanbase feels, or even this one.

Also, we play Florida this week, and it's fun to see an opponent who seems to have it worse than Kentucky in the head coach position.

Current Position: Head Coach of Florida
Connection to Kentucky: SEC Coach
Record: 54-29
Achievements: Multiple Sun Belt championships and Coach of the Year awards.