Mark Stoops seems to not be able to make headlines in the media the past few seasons which many continue to speculate is him doing all he can to leave his post as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, one he has held for the past 12 years. With his last 10-win season in 2021, things seem to be growing restless in Lexington not only for the fans, but Stoops as well.
The Wildcats are off to a disappointing 3-5 start so far in 2024 after coming off of back-to-back 7-6 seasons. The acquisition of transfer quarterback, Brock Vandagriff along with continuity on the offensive line and nine returning starters on defense are just a few of the reasons folks were optimistic about the Cats this season. However, they have seemingly regressed yet again under Stoops are ranked 15th in the SEC with a 1-5 conference record.
The trajectory the Cats seem to be on is also resonating with the coach give his recent remarks in a press conference earlier today.
Mark Stoops is not happy to be playing the Tennessee Volunteers at night
“(Neyland Stadium is) a very hostile environment. I think that's our 4th straight 8 o'clock Eastern game. Thank you for that. That's a lot of fun," Stoops said.
Obviously, the comment is sarcastic with Stoops insinuating they would like some fairness in scheduling and not having to play constant night games, with some being in hostile environments like the home of their rival Tennessee Volunteers this coming Saturday night.
While many fans correlated this to Lane Kiffin’s comments made earlier this week about wanting Ole Miss to have a night game instead of Alabama versus LSU, we should be looking at it through another lens beyond just the game time.
Mark Stoops’ comments about playing at Neyland Stadium at night does not instill confidence in his players
Put yourself in the shoes of Kentucky Wide receiver Dane Key or linebacker D’Eryk Jackson. Would this instill a belief in you that your coach has your back and believes in you? Probably not obviously. Head coaches you would think would indicate a level of excitement to play whoever whenever each week, even if they were truly nervous about the outcome.
Buy-in from your players is important, and with comments like these it can cause them to be all out quickly.