2024 was a disaster, and it is time Stoops admits it
Mark Stoops stood on the stage during Kentucky’s annual kickoff luncheon this week and tried to project calm in the face of chaos. He spoke about adversity, about toughness, about how his program has weathered storms before. But one line stood out — and not in a good way.
“We maybe fell short of our expectations,” Stoops said.
Maybe?
Kentucky went 4–8 in 2024. The Wildcats finished 1–7 in the SEC, dropped six of their last seven games, and only managed a late-season win over FCS Murray State to avoid total embarrassment. Maybe isn’t the word. That season wasn’t a disappointment — it was a debacle.
Let’s talk facts. Kentucky’s offense ranked 124th in the country in both scoring and total yards per game. The passing attack? Dead last in completion percentage at 51.9% per teamrankings.com. The defense? Statistically average, but failed to flip the field or force momentum-changing plays. The Wildcats were bottom-10 nationally in fourth down conversions, third down conversions, turnover margin, and giveaways.
Kentucky OC Bush Hamdan says “this Offensive Line is going to remind us of some of the great Offensive Lines we have had here”
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) July 28, 2025
Strong words from the OC
Across nearly every major category — from red zone scoring to sacks allowed, interceptions thrown, and passing efficiency — Kentucky lagged behind. The one outlier? Kicking. Alex Raynor’s 92.9% field goal rate ranked sixth nationally. But when your field goal kicker is your MVP, you're not a winning football team. You're a team surviving drive stalls.
And yet, Stoops framed the season as if expectations were almost met. As if a 4–8 campaign with a roster full of veteran talent, a former 5 star quarterback fresh off a national title (as a backup), and year 12 of staff stability just kind of... didn’t break right.
It’s a baffling disconnect. Stoops has earned praise in Lexington for stabilizing the floor in Lexington. But the success that earned him that reputation — the 10-win highs, the New Year’s Day bowls — now comes with expectations. Real ones. The kind that aren't satisfied by beating Ball State and EKU.
Kentucky fans aren't delusional. They don't expect the Wildcats to win the SEC every year. But they expect better than finishing outside the top 100 in almost every meaningful offensive category. They expect to look prepared. They expect effort, identity, and urgency. None of that showed up in 2024.
And for a head coach earning close to $9 million a year — one of the highest salaries in college football — the “maybe” just doesn’t cut it.
This fall, Kentucky gets a hard reset. A reshuffled roster. A chance to prove 2024 was the exception, not the new norm. But if the messaging doesn’t match the reality, Stoops risks losing the one thing he’s always had in Lexington: benefit of the doubt.
Call it what it was. Last season wasn’t close to the standard Stoops built. It was a collapse. Accountability starts with honesty — not maybe.