5 potential replacements for Mark Stoops if he leaves Kentucky

Big Blue Nation seems to be headed towards a similar conclusion that Mark Stoops may not be the guy that takes the Kentucky Wildcats any further than he's currently taken them. He brought them out of the depths, but they seem to be a middle-of-the-road team year after year. The peak of Kentucky football seems to be what mediocre bowl game we can get into. With College Football adding a 12 team playoff format and the SEC will most likely send multiple teams every year, the standard needs to be raised.

The comment that I see the most often from Big Blue Nation is something like, "Who could Kentucky even get?" or "Stoops is the best we can get," or even "Kentucky is a basketball school, let's just face it." However, does this look like ONLY a basketball school to you?

Big Blue Nation is special and truly a multiple-sport school. There's no other fanbase like Kentucky that can turn up in thousands at a basketball press conference, sell out Big Blue Madness in 24 minutes, and then still sell out and pack out a nearly 8 pm kickoff against Vanderbilt. There will be coaches who would love to come to Kentucky and take advantage of our deep NIL and amazing fanbase.

So who? That's the big question, and here are five candidates that I think will be considered or at least should be considered.

1. Jon Sumrall

The name I see brought up more than any other name is Sumrall. The clear and obvious connection is that he is an alum of and played at Kentucky. He also began his coaching journey at Kentucky as a graduate assistant in 2005. He went on to other spots like San Diego, Tulane, Troy, and Ole Miss. He even came back to Kentucky from 2019-2021, which led him to be hired as Troy's head coach. He absolutely soared as a head coach, taking Troy to the top of the Sun Belt two years in a row with a two-year record of 23-4. He then was hired last year at Tulane where he is currently at 4-2 and 2-0 in conference. He's a rising star, and another major university will swoop him up sooner or later.

Current Position: Tulane Head Coach
Career Record: 27-6 as HC (4-2 at Tulane)
Achievements: Sun Belt Coach of the Year (2022), 2 Sun Belt Championships (2022, 2023)

2. Brad White

This one feels important to mention. He is doing such an amazing job as the defensive coordinator, and I'm sure other schools are starting to notice and will want to give him an opportunity as their head coach. He has Kentucky currently ranked 4th in yards allowed per game, 9th in points allowed per game, and top 10 in a few other categories. He should be considered for a promotion if Kentucky moves on past Stoops.

He's never been a head coach, though he does have NFL assistant coaching experience. Sometimes, the promotion from coordinator to head coach doesn't always work, but the defensive unit not only seems to be performing at a high level, but it also seems disciplined in comparison to the special teams and offense.

Current Position: Defensive Coordinator for Kentucky
Career Record: N/A
Achievements: Has the Wildcats as a top 5 defense in the nation

3. Derrick Ansley

This one may be a stretch, as you are dipping into the NFL's pocket with a coach who only has some ties to the University of Kentucky. Ansley was the defensive backs coach for the Wildcats from 2013-2015. He also spent some time in Alabama (on two different stints) before finding his way onto an NFL coaching staff.

He was promoted to defensive coordinator this past year, and his defense has performed remarkably well this season. In his first year, he has put forth one of the best defenses in the NFL. He got shuffled around with Jim Harbaugh, and now he is in Green Bay. He would be worth a call.

Current Position: Passing Game Coordinator - Green Bay Packers
Career Record: N/A
Achievements: NFL Experience

4. Brent Key

I'm including this one because I've heard talk of this one, and Big Blue Nation has brought his name up a few times. I'm not sure why because he has only loose ties to the University of Kentucky. He also hasn't been a homerun college coach. He's been good but not great at Georgia Tech, putting up a three-year record of 16-12. Each year, the program gets a little better, going from 4-4 to 7-6 to now 5-2, with some good momentum on the year. This season he has wins over a floundering Florida State, Duke, and North Carolina.

Current Position: Head Coach for Georgia Tech
Career Record: 16-12
Achievements: 1-0 in bowl games

5. Liam Coen

You will recognize this name because he was the Wildcats offensive coordinator in 2021 before moving on to the NFL and taking the same position for the Los Angeles Rams. He came back in 2023 to serve another stint as the offensive coordinator before finally going back to the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is his current position.

You may not like this name, but his offense has performed well literally everywhere. Kentucky went 10-3 under him, and he helped Will Levis get into the NFL. He has a top-10 offense in the NFL right now, averaging 367.2 yards per game. I think he would be swayed to come back to Kentucky for the head coach position.

Current Position: Offensive Coordinator - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Career Record: N/A
Achievements: Wildcats were 10-3 when he was on staff

There are certainly plenty more options out there, but these were the first five that came to mind, and I would at least engage in a conversation with them to see if there is mutual interest.