The ascension of Jon Sumrall is starting to stress Kentucky fans out

No one has watched the rise of Jon Sumrall quite like Big Blue Nation. He's one of our own, and we are proud of him, but now his ascension is causing stress. He is coaching a top-25 Tulane team. He's mentioned as one of the bright young coaches in the college game and potentially one of the hottest names for offseason hires to a new program. Kentucky fans would love to have Jon Sumrall as their next head coach, but an insane Mark Stoops contract blocks him.

Sumrall continues to win, and he did it again yesterday. Undoubtedly, he will continue to see Tulane mentioned in the Top 25 and for a good bowl. Kentucky is desperate for even the sniffing of a bowl. Tulane earned that weeks ago. Kentucky is on the way down while Sumrall is on the way up, and it's starting to make Big Blue Nation nervous that they won't get a chance to hire him and that he will be hired by another university that is not named Kentucky.

Here's the thing: If somehow Kentucky was able to be in the market for a new head coach, Sumrall would not only be the name on every Kentucky fan's wish list but also his dream job. Sumrall was a Kentucky player and an assistant coach at one point. Undoubtedly, the allure of coaching at his alma mater would be strong.

The biggest problem is that it costs $44 million to get out of Mark Stoops' contract, and he's already said there is a 0% chance he will retire this offseason. Maybe there's hope he goes somewhere else. Maybe there is hope that he decides it's time to leave on his own for another opportunity, even if it takes a pay cut. However, currently, Kentucky fans feel stressed that they may miss out on Sumrall.