The emotion of Senior Day always finds its way into Mark Stoops’ press conferences, but this week, there was a clarity and steadiness that matched the momentum Kentucky brings into Saturday. Fresh off a commanding win over Florida, Stoops outlined a blueprint built on gratitude, improvement, and a sharpened team identity.
With 25 seniors being honored, an undefeated Tennessee Tech team arriving, and bowl positioning in play, Stoops’ message hit every corner of the program.
He began with a long list of thank-yous; not just seniors, but walk-ons, staffers, trainers, and the behind-the-scenes hands who keep the program functional.
Cutter Boley’s growing confidence
When Boley’s name came up, Stoops lit up.
He called the freshman quarterback “lights out,” praising the anticipation throws, operation tempo, and pocket command.
The turnovers? Correctable.
The confidence? Growing.
The ceiling? Rising.
Stoops made it clear: this is what they envisioned when they recruited him. Even though Bush Hamdan wasn't there and he wanted to go out and get a QB in the portal.
Stoops also highlighted the defense's resurgence, saying Brad White’s unit has the "swagger" it lacked early in the year, pointing to Daveren Rayner, Grant Godfrey, and Cam Dooley. The team is playing better, but the competition has helped a ton these last two games.
He made sure to respect Tennessee Tech, calling them a "10-0 team that knows how to win," and challenged his team not to overlook anything. An SEC team on Senior Day against an FCS team should win easily, but that is not always the case for Mark Stoops. Stoops also addressed the Zach Calzada situation head-on, making clear that ownership and accountability remain foundational program values but that he sticks up for his players. If you haven't seen the video that sparked it, you can click here for that.
He closed by circling back to the core themes: build momentum, honor the seniors, and finish the season the right way.
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