UK extends Mark Stoops contract

[All State Baseball]

Kentucky has extended Mark Stoops contract. 

Per Matt Jones:

BREAKING: UK announces contract extension for Mark Stoops through 2027

Every year with 7 wins, contract extended one more year 

10 wins extended two more years

[TheDeuce]

3 minutes ago, All State Baseball said:

Every year with 7 wins, contract extended one more year 

This by itself is a reason Stoops would be silly to leave UK. With the way he's built the program, seven wins a season is a gimme. Lifetime contract. 

[All State Baseball]

Barnhart has also agreed to a new indoor practice facility without a track and the recruiting budget Stoops had asked for.

Curious to see what the money is. 

[FrankNicodemus]

This is great news!!!!

I wonder if there is a sense of pride that comes with Stoops staying at Kentucky where he brought this program out of the dumpster and had to deal with a rough what 3 years of losing seasons before the ship was moving in the right direction.  

Whereas let's take Luke Fickell for example who took over a program that has been running pretty competitively for a while now.  Luke didn't have to take a loser into a winner he just had to take an above average team to a great team.....

Whatever it is GO STOOPS!!!  GO CATS!!!! 

[MJAlltheWay24]

1 hour ago, TheDeuce said:

This by itself is a reason Stoops would be silly to leave UK. With the way he's built the program, seven wins a season is a gimme. Lifetime contract. 

That's what I've been saying the past week.  The expectation is so much lower that he'd probably make more over time at UK than going to an LSU or Oklahoma and being fired after four.

[John Anthony]

Yup I agree he’s here for life.  I don’t even see him flirting with any programs.  He might press for 20 years at UK.  

[theguru]

To take the other side, what if 5 years from now the playoffs are expanded to 16 teams and the money in the sport triples during that same time period.  All I am saying, is right now college football is an "arms race" so it is hard to predict the future with our 2021 mindset. 

[FrankNicodemus]

3 minutes ago, theguru said:

To take the other side, what if 5 years from now the playoffs are expanded to 16 teams and the money in the sport triples during that same time period.  All I am saying, is right now college football is an "arms race" so it is hard to predict the future with our 2021 mindset. 

Totally agree, I will add this....there will come a time where this fan base will be wanting more than just 7-9 wins and a Outback Bowl berth.  BBN will want more in the next 5 years or they will want to try to find someone who will get them over the hump, if Mark doesn't.

Now don't get me wrong with this statement, I am hoping and have faith that Mark has the brains and pedigree to be "that guy".....so yes maybe he will be a lifer.

[okie1]

Smart money in coaching is to strike while the iron is hot.  You don't see a lot of lifers any more.  With that said, hopefully Stoops pedigree makes him appreciate a place where he is appreciated.  I am sure his big brothers have some good insight about that.

I am also glad to see UK double down on his wish list and support.  KY should seek to trade conference places with Clemson and be done with it!

[TheDeuce]

22 minutes ago, FrankNicodemus said:

Totally agree, I will add this....there will come a time where this fan base will be wanting more than just 7-9 wins and a Outback Bowl berth.  BBN will want more in the next 5 years or they will want to try to find someone who will get them over the hump, if Mark doesn't.

I'm not sure this is true. I think if Stoops wins 7-9 games every year and goes to a decent to good bowl game, there will be very little discourse ever amongst the fans. 

[FrankNicodemus]

7 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

I'm not sure this is true. I think if Stoops wins 7-9 games every year and goes to a decent to good bowl game, there will be very little discourse ever amongst the fans. 

You might be right BUT we might be putting our "today" emotions into that scenario....let's fast forward down the hypothetical road of 5 more decent 7-9 win seasons and average to above avg bowl's with NO SEC Championship games, no Top 10 finishes, I wouldn't put it past the BBN me included thinking we might have hit the ceiling with Stoops that we wouldn't look for some replacement.

But again, maybe BBN will be fine with 7-9 wins a season consistently and that's the ceiling....

Again, with all that said, I think the way Stoops has been hitting Yatzees in the recruiting of high talent and nice transfers, my statement will be a moot point b/c I think he will take us over that hump and we will be playing in an SEC Championship game in the next 4 years!

GO CATS!!!

[futurecoach]

1 hour ago, FrankNicodemus said:

This is great news!!!!

I wonder if there is a sense of pride that comes with Stoops staying at Kentucky where he brought this program out of the dumpster and had to deal with a rough what 3 years of losing seasons before the ship was moving in the right direction.  

Whereas let's take Luke Fickell for example who took over a program that has been running pretty competitively for a while now.  Luke didn't have to take a loser into a winner he just had to take an above average team to a great team.....

Whatever it is GO STOOPS!!!  GO CATS!!!! 

Luke Fickell took over a program that was crashing and burning quick because of Tommy Tuberville. His last year there UC went 4 and 8, and left a horrible roster for Fickell to come into because of his poor his recruiting was. Obviously Stoops walked into a bigger mess, but let’s not act like Fickell was handed a good or even a average situation. He took over a team that was heading in the wrong way fast and was a very bad team and turned into a bad program quick under Tuberville. 

[futurecoach]

20 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

I'm not sure this is true. I think if Stoops wins 7-9 games every year and goes to a decent to good bowl game, there will be very little discourse ever amongst the fans. 

Right not the path has still been trending up. If it starts to level out and never really in contention even to win the SEC East. Then I do think UK fans would start to get restless. Right now the trajectory is still slowly projecting up, which helps keep people excited still. 

[Jumper_Dad]

I expect the East/West division in the SEC to end. The 4 team scheduling pods makes too much sense not to use it. Add that to the expanded playoffs coming soon, the new goal won't be winning the East, but winning enough games to potentially make the expanded CFP. In the right scenario UK could win 10 games and make the CFP. I think for most fans, that would be the epitome of expectations. Stoops I feel can do that.

[Bluegrasscard]

A move like this is what a good AD does.  Secure your coach in this feeding frenzy. 

Barnhart is on a good roll.  Has the cash cow sport stable and he has the national championship in the highly visible women's volleyball.  A lot of AD's would like to be in this position.