More examples of Mark Stoops and Kentucky football's discipline problem

Kentucky football’s struggles go well beyond the football field. A glaring lack of discipline and leadership has infected the program over the last few seasons, drawing criticism from former players, incoming transfers, and fans. This breakdown has contributed to a disastrous 4-8, and just 1-7 in the SEC, season and a growing sense that head coach Mark Stoops has lost the locker room and fanbase.

Leadership void

Former standout and fan favorite Kash Daniel openly called out the team for its lack of leadership, calling it a circus after a loss. Incoming transfer Ja’mori Maclin echoed the sentiment after the Louisville loss, stating leadership is the first thing that needs to change. These public comments highlight the cracks in the program’s foundation.

Bizarre incidents

The problems extend to behavior on game days, and rumored during practice, though that's just speculation. An injured player was spotted at the concession stand in full uniform during a game. While he wasn’t expected to play, the optics of such an act scream lack of accountability. Especially when that player was Gerald Mincey who was expected to solidify the line. Former player T.V. Williams added fuel to the fire by revealing the team removed heated benches because players were sitting too much.

Lost the locker room

Stoops’ grip on the team seems to have slipped. Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio suggested the turning point came after the Ole Miss game on his radio show December 2nd. Following a close loss to Georgia and a victory over Ole Miss, the team’s confidence turned to cockiness. Kentucky went on to win just one more game, after the bye week, finishing the season as an afterthought.

Recruiting exodus

The program’s instability is scaring off top talent. Four-star and highest ever RB to commit to Kentucky, Marquise Davis flipped to Missouri. That was preceeded by offensive tackle Tucker Kattus chose to flip Clemson even though he has two brothers enrolled at Kentucky. Whispers suggest Jamarion Wilcox may bolt to Ole Miss, which would be another blow as he was the lone bright spot offensively.

Meanwhile, on the coaching staff, Vince Marrow reportedly entertained overtures from Louisville before deciding—for now—to stay. And Stoops ran meetings all day yesterday, things aren't good in the coaching room either.

Coaching woes and offensive failures

The Wildcats’ offensive struggles mirror their off-field issues. Kentucky scored just 10 touchdowns in eight SEC games and ranked near the bottom in multiple offensive categories nationally, performing worse or equal to when Rich Scangarello was here.

The playcalling was awful, and Bush Hamdan is already back according to Stoops, and the fact that Boise's offense looked better without Hamdan, and may make the playoffs, is a tell he may not be the answer. Then look at his time at Washington and fans were ready for him to go because of bad playcalling, which sets up a pretty clear pattern there. Now he will be a top 10 paid OC in the country and can't score 21 points against a power 5 team.

The offensive line’s disastrous performance symbolized a broader failure of preparation and focus, as Stoops tried to go back to Eric Wolford who wasn't good here or at Bama. The WR room and TE room contributed very little outside a few flash plays from Maclin and Dane Key. The whole defense underperformed everywhere, getting gashed over and over against the run.

Don't worry about the bad play calls, if we get bigger and longer it will all get better. Make it make sense.

Without immediate and dramatic changes, the Wildcats risk sliding into irrelevance. Stoops may vow to fix the culture, but discipline and leadership remain glaring weaknesses that he created. If Kentucky can’t right the ship, more recruits and coaches will follow the exodus currebtkt happening, leaving the program adrift in the hyper-competitive SEC with a 9 million dollar head coach.