After a disaster of a season, what can Kentucky football and Mark Stoops change?

Kentucky football's 2024 campaign was nothing short of catastrophic. Finishing 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the SEC, this season marks the program’s worst performance since Mark Stoops’ 2-10 season in 2013, his second year at the helm. The Wildcats were outmatched on the field, with glaring weaknesses on both sides of the ball. The offseason raises critical questions about whether change is even possible—or if fans should brace for more mediocrity as they run it back next year.

A Team Full of glaring issues

1. Offensive Ineptitude Under Bush Hamdan

Kentucky’s offense ranked near the bottom of the SEC in nearly every category, averaging just 20.4 points per game in conference play and just 21 overall. The Wildcats’ third-down efficiency against Louisville was emblematic of their struggles: 0 for 9.

Cutter Boley, the true freshman quarterback thrown into action, had a rough outing with two interceptions against Louisville, leaving fans questioning development under Hamdan’s leadership.

Hamdan’s reported $3 million buyout and built-in contract incentives all but ensure he’ll return next year—likely with a raise despite one of the worst offenses in the SEC and country. How does Kentucky justify retaining him when the offense hasn’t progressed at all?

2. A defense that collapsed

Kentucky allowed over 140 rushing yards per game,.In the season finale, Louisville gouged the Wildcats for 358 rushing yards, including several explosive runs, one of 58 yards. Defensive coordinator Brad White has been a stronghold in years past, but his unit was pushed around all season. Where is the accountability?

3. Turnovers and undisciplined play

Kentucky committed 23 turnovers this season, including five against Louisville.Key offensive players, including Jamarion Wilcox, struggled with fumbles. On defense, the Wildcats failed to generate timely takeaways, and just look at that stat, 3 SEC home touchdowns.

Roster Concerns

Several key players could leave, including:

• Barion Brown and Dane Key: Once thought to lead the Kentucky program to new heights, the WR duo could bolt to play at programs to get them ready for the NFL. No receiver on the roster could be looked at if they chose to leave the Stoops/Hamdan system.
• Jamarion Wilcox: With NFL potential, he may opt to test the portal amid his lack of carries, even though he was probably the most effective RB on the roster.
• Brock Vandagriff: He is as good as gone, and who can blame him? He was not given any help from anyone on the roster or the coaching staff. Hopefully, the kid can land somewhere that helps him develop. He gave everything he had while out on the field.

Graduations and potential transfer losses could gut this roster, making a rebuild even harder.

Contract constraints on Stoops and Hamdan

Mark Stoops is one of the SEC's longest-tenured coaches, but his $9 million annual salary and a substantial buyout of $44 million make firing him financially prohibitive, if not impossible. Add in a $3 million buyout for Hamdan and several other coaches up above the million-dollar mark to start over. Kentucky may be on the hook for upwards of $70 million. While Mitch Barnhart has expressed support, fans wonder if Stoops has reached his ceiling as fans are jumping off the bandwagon.

What can change?

• Will Stoops overhaul the coaching staff? Hamdan’s retention seems inevitable, but replacing key position coaches could offer some hope. But where? Vince Marrow is the TE coach; they just hired a new WR coach, Jay Boulware runs the RB room and special teams, and Hamdan is in control of the quarterbacks. On the defensive side, maybe?
• Can Stoops adapt his recruiting strategy? Kentucky consistently struggles to compete in the trenches. Will this staff prioritize size and talent in the portal and then be able to develop them? Wolford has not shown the ability to do that at Kentucky or Alabama.
• How will the program address its lack of identity, and what will it be? Gone are the days when you can dominate the line of scrimmage and control time to win as an underdog. But that is the only way Stoops knows. Can he be willing to change?

Until these questions are answered, fans have every right to remain skeptical. Because when you look at it, what can Kentucky really change at this point? Is this as good as it gets under Stoops? For a program regressing after years of incremental growth, this offseason could define the next decade of Kentucky football.

Stay with Wildcat Blue Nation as we cover all things post-season, including which players will be leaving and which will be staying. One thing is for sure: all the fans, and maybe even Stoops himself, are thankful this football season is over.