The difference between the above, and UK's situation is the little hurdle of a contract "promising" the job to Joker....meaning there are punitive damages owed to him, if it doesn't happen.

 

It is very rare for a breach of contract to lead to punitive damages.

My two cents on the posts in this thread:

 

Race is an issue for the coaches in the SEC. It is a sad reality. Maybe folks on this forum are open minded, but it can be seen in the hiring practices of the conference and in the history of the conference. How much of an issue race is; that is for debate.

 

I think UK needs to keep Joker for one reason; he can recruit the daylights out of the southeast. He has gotten us players from Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, even JUCOs from California. If it comes down to what I want in a head man, I will take the recruiter over the X's and O's guy every time. The HC just needs to be smart enough to retain good X's and O's guys on his staff.

 

Joker may need to go get an OC that has a bit of a profile. I think that would be best for the program over the long haul.

 

I agree with you about having a head coach that is a recruiter first. That's what he is good at and that will win you a lot of games. I also agree that the best of all worlds would be to bring in an offensive coordinator. I'm not sure he will but I wish he would.

Here is what I have heard.

 

Coach Brooks met with UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart after the regular season was over and said he would like to coach one more season, but he wanted more money for his final season. Mitch Barnhart said to get back with him after the bowl game as to how much money he had in mind and that the athletics department would see what they could do.

 

I was surprised to hear him tell the team he was 80% gone for next season.

 

Personally, I am banking on that 20% chance that he returns. The Clemson game was not a fitting end to Rich Brook's 47 year coaching career.

 

Brooks wants more money for his assistants. He also wants the "recruiting presentation" room built that continually has gotten tabled.

I think that is why he is floating the 80-20 stuff.

I also think he is about ready to hang it up.

I also feel there will be some other coaches that go once Brooks steps down.

UK football is as good as it is going to get. We don't have the talent base in our reruiting area, we can't compete year in and out in the SEC in recruiting or on the field, that is just how it is. Alabama can't do it in basketball year in and year out, but UK can. Keep Joker, make it a smooth transition, and hope we keep getting to go somewhere the end of Dec. or 1st of Jan. Going to Nashville is better than all those years of going nowhere at all. A big name coach isn't coming here, an up and comer may come for a while and leave when the big boys come calling. Go Cats!

 

It can happen here. We can win here. We can win big here.

 

TCU, Utah and Boise were able to get to BCS bowl games from mid-major conferences.

 

Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas St., Louisville, Wake Forest, etc. have overcome their disadvantages in tough conferences to make BCS bowl games.

 

Under Coach Brooks, we have beaten LSU; we have beaten Georgia; we have beaten Auburn. We have beaten top 10 teams and eventual National Champs. We can be a big time program in the SEC with the right leadership and some time.

 

We need a coach that will recruit and bring the talent here. We need a coach that will bring in assistants with solid philosophies in all three phases and can consistently out scheme and out game plan the compitition. We need a guy who is committed to putting in the work to get us to the next level. We are a sleeping giant and our next head coach had better believe this, otherwise he can take a hike!

 

IMO, it will take time and it will take some changes, but it can be done. I don't want a coach that thinks otherwise. :thumb:

IN reality is it really on the rise though? Seems much more like a plateau to me, and that's likely why Brooks is done.

 

Good discussion point here. They have knocked in a couple of doors, but there are still some jammed.

That is why the Tennessee game was such a killer.

I agree with you about having a head coach that is a recruiter first. That's what he is good at and that will win you a lot of games. I also agree that the best of all worlds would be to bring in an offensive coordinator. I'm not sure he will but I wish he would.

 

I think he may have to get some new assistants because, as LABS pointed out, some of the guys on staff may walk away with Brooks.

I think Ortmeyer retires.

I think Brown certainly may be moved out. Heggins the OL coach would possibly be moved out.

There is some dead weight recruiting wise on this staff.

As Turner Gill said, you have to recruit, recruit, and recruit.

1. I don't like Joker's play calling. Never have. Every SEC defensive coordinator has him completely figured out.

 

2. I do like Joker's recruiting. I think we have more depth at almost every postion than we have had in a long, long time.

 

3. I think Joker's recruiting is as much a part of our success as anything. And I honestly believe that he can continue to bring in the type of talent to keep us competitive.

 

4. I like the way Coach Brooks runs a program. He sets the direction he wants to go. He coaches the coaches and lets the coaches coach the players.

 

5. My biggest concern with Joker taking over is:

not his ability to coach - I think he can coach

not whether he can recruit - I think he can recruit

 

It's his ability to run a program. I'm not saying he can't, but a program like UK can destroy a good coach. We've all seen good coaches go to bigger programs and get consumed. And those are guys with head coaching experience.

 

If Joker does take over. I would really like to see Coach Brooks stick around as a program director or some kind of title to help and teach Joker the behind the scenes stuff that is so vital to running a program.

 

 

Maybe Joker is so conservative because he has to follow Brooks's game plan. He should get a shot at least.

If Joker takes over I think Coach Ortmeyer, Coach Brown, and Coach Heggins will be gone. I also think it is possible that Coach Smith moves on to try and become a head coach at the FCS level. I have heard that if Joker needs to fill the Defensive Coordinator position it would likely be David Lockwood.

 

If it is Joker's turn I think we can guarantee a heavier emphasis on recruiting by all staff members, something desperately needed.

It can happen here. We can win here. We can win big here.

 

TCU, Utah and Boise were able to get to BCS bowl games from mid-major conferences.

 

Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas St., Louisville, Wake Forest, etc. have overcome their disadvantages in tough conferences to make BCS bowl games.

 

Under Coach Brooks, we have beaten LSU; we have beaten Georgia; we have beaten Auburn. We have beaten top 10 teams and eventual National Champs. We can be a big time program in the SEC with the right leadership and some time.

 

We need a coach that will recruit and bring the talent here. We need a coach that will bring in assistants with solid philosophies in all three phases and can consistently out scheme and out game plan the compitition. We need a guy who is committed to putting in the work to get us to the next level. We are a sleeping giant and our next head coach had better believe this, otherwise he can take a hike!

 

IMO, it will take time and it will take some changes, but it can be done. I don't want a coach that thinks otherwise. :thumb:

I just don't agree. UK can win big games, they have proven that. But I don't think I will ever see in my life time UK on top of the SEC competing for national titles.

If Joker takes over I think Coach Ortmeyer, Coach Brown, and Coach Heggins will be gone. I also think it is possible that Coach Smith moves on to try and become a head coach at the FCS level. I have heard that if Joker needs to fill the Defensive Coordinator position it would likely be David Lockwood.

 

If it is Joker's turn I think we can guarantee a heavier emphasis on recruiting by all staff members, something desperately needed.

I have heard many of these same things. I see Chuck Smith staying at Kentucky.

 

I still say Coach Brooks will be back.

Maybe Joker is so conservative because he has to follow Brooks's game plan. He should get a shot at least.

 

We agree on that. Brooks has picked one coach to replace him before, Belotti and Oregon and that worked out very well. He has believed all along that Joker was the right guy to replace him. I think he deserves his shot when Brooks does retire. :thumb:

I have heard many of these same things. I see Chuck Smith staying at Kentucky.

 

I still say Coach Brooks will be back.

 

:thumb:

Tubby was treated the same exact way that any other coach here would have been treated had he bailed the last two seasons like he did and failed to make the Final Four since after his first year. People can use race as an excuse for poor performance if they want, but that'll only go so far.

 

I may be mistaken (because I wasn't around for it), but weren't UK fans pretty hard on Joe B. Hall as well. I've heard more than one person make a comparison between he and Tubby. Both guys were following UK legends, which is one of the toughest things you can do in the sporting world. So, immediately, they were in a no-win situation...Joe B. wasn't Adolph Rupp and Tubby Smith wasn't Rick Pitino. Not only that, the legend of an all-time great only grows when they leave, so you're not just trying to live up to their record, but you're leaving up to an overblown caricature of the legend that people have in their minds. Impossible.

 

(Its the same reason why Spurrier could probably never have returned to Florida. He'd be competing with not just himself, but the overblown memory of his first tenure.)

 

Additionally, like Tubby, Joe B, I've heard was more conservative, i.e., his team's weren't as exciting, and some (perhaps many) fans weren't satisfied.

 

There's no doubt that race played a role in some fan's feelings toward Tubby. But, I don't think it was the primary reason he never won Big Blue Nation over to his side and it gets too much credit for that, IMO. His lack of recruiting success, generally boring style of play, and lack of final four appearances are all higher on the list.

 

With Joker, race may be a factor for some fans (something not exclusive to UK fans), but for the majority his fate will be determined by how well he and his team's perform.

I have heard many of these same things. I see Chuck Smith staying at Kentucky.

 

I still say Coach Brooks will be back.

 

He is a very good recruiter. It would be wise to hold on to him.