Mark Stoops talks tough at SEC Media Days: Is anyone buying it?
Mark Stoops walked onto the SEC Media Days stage with a familiar tone—gritty, determined, and just a little defensive. After a lackluster 2024 season and an offseason exodus of key talent, Kentucky’s head coach is facing heat from a fanbase that once championed him as a program savior.
But Stoops made it clear: he’s not going anywhere. The focus shifts to what he can change in year 13.
Fans who felt like he wasn't vocal enough after a bad season were told it wasn't on purpose with Stoops saying “I didn’t do anything different this offseason with y’all. I don’t think. People have tried to insinuate that I’ve been laying low on purpose, but I think people would appreciate the fact that we’re just working, and we’re trying to get better, and we’re trying to assemble a quality football team, and we have a lot of work to do."
Stoops parroted that sentiment after the season, saying he and his staff were going to get to work and have a goof football program.
That message was loud and clear after last year’s Louisville win. It was just as firm in Atlanta. Gone are star receivers like Barion Brown and Dane Key. In their place? Tougher linemen, bruising backs, and a scheme that screams back to basics. Stoops saying, "We wanted to make sure we made adjustments. We looked at everything." To Stoops that must mean getting back to what he believes in, his real identity in football. Tough, hard nosed, slow, bruising and deliberate.
That identity built the Stoops brand at UK—but it's been a shaky foundation the last three years. The Cats went 7-6, 7-6, 4-8 and looked outmanned against nearly every other SEC team. Repeating old tricks in a SEC with teams adjusting and moving towards more of a modern style comes with serious risk. But with $30+ million reasons to give him time, Stoops has earned at least one more run at proving the doubters wrong.
But is culture enough? "I'll play along and let the media have their fun and take their shots. That's cool with me. I'm just ready to move forward." But with so few highlights last year, what is there to look forward to?
Kentucky fans have seen the peak under Stoops: 10 wins, Citrus Bowl trophies, national rankings. Now they’re wondering if the peak was the plateau. SEC Media Days was a sales pitch for patience and belief that he and his staff have looked over and fixed big issues. He was as much a salesman as we have seen him in his time at Kentucky. This fall will show if Stoops still has buyers.