Once upon a time, Kentucky football wasn’t fancy. It was built on grit, physicality, and a defiant pride in its underdog status. Mark Stoops didn't inherit a powerhouse in 2013; he inherited a program desperate for an identity. With blue-collar toughness and a chip the size of the Commonwealth, he forged one. Bowl games became expected. Ten-win seasons happened. That edge made Kentucky dangerous. Trips to Lexington were feared.
But somewhere along the way, amidst contract extensions, facility upgrades, and national praise for achieving stability, that edge dulled. Now, as the 2025 season spirals into a 2-5 (0-5 SEC) abyss, the program seems defined more by excuses than by effort. Kentucky has lost its way.
The peak and the plateau
Think back to 2018. Benny Snell punished defenses behind a mauling offensive line. Josh Allen was a nightmare off the edge. The defense played with relentless intensity. That 10-3 Citrus Bowl championship team embodied Stoops' blueprint: earned, not given. It felt sustainable.
Then came the comfort. Stoops received massive contract extensions. Facilities got luxurious upgrades. Recruiting briefly touched elite levels. But the on-field results plateaued and then regressed: 7-6 finishes in 2022 and 2023 (both ending in bowl losses), a dismal 4-8 campaign in 2024, and now this 2025 collapse, featuring blowout losses and a defense that looks soft where it once was steel. Stoops remains the winningest coach in UK history (69-76), but his SEC record over the last three-plus seasons is a concerning 6-22.
Excuses replace execution
When the Wildcats trail now, they often look defeated. When things go wrong, the postgame press conferences offer a familiar refrain of needing to "be better," "watch the tape," "get back to work" or "finish drives." The fiery accountability seems to have faded, replaced by justifications.
That once-dominant offensive line? Now porous, gashed for significant yardage week after week (currently 14th in SEC rush defense). The defense, Stoops' calling card, struggles to replace portal departures and relies too heavily on youth. Swagger has given way to shrugs.
A culture in question
Gone is Mark's right hand man Vince Marrow, problems on the field are mounting as problems off the field grow even louder. Insiders point to a bleak reality, Mark Stoops is past his prime but Mitch Barnhart is hanging on.
Most people projected a modest 5-6 win season, but even that looks optimistic now. While Stoops' buyout remains substantial (around $38 million), the SEC's ruthless coaching market proves no number is truly insurmountable when a program loses its way.
The path back for Kentucky isn't just about scheme changes or landing a five-star recruit. It's about rediscovering the hunger, the "us against the world" mentality that Stoops himself used to build the program. It's about demanding physicality and accountability, not just talking about it.
Right now, this feels less like the program that shocked the SEC and more like a program clinging to past glories while the present crumbles. Kentucky deserves better than excuses; it deserves its edge back. That starts with a new coach.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion