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Mark Stoops to A&M

alaskanseminole

alaskanseminole

Bull Gator
Oct 20, 2002
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They fired 4-loss Fisher for Stoops?

Martin Lawrence Lol GIF by Martin


The search for the next Texas A&M football coach is officially coming to an end in the near future. The Aggies are expected to soon finalize their hiring of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, sources confirmed to GigEm247's Jeff Tarpley. TexAgs first reported the news Saturday night.

After firing former head coach Jimbo Fisher on Nov. 12, A&M athletics director Ross Bjork immediately began looking for his replacement. With Bjork leading the effort, the Aggies held their first national search for a head football coach in several decades.

Mike Elko (Duke), Jeff Traylor (UTSA) and Jedd Fisch (Arizona) were among candidates that A&M considered. But Bjork ultimately picked Stoops, the Youngstown, Ohio product who is the younger brother of former legendary Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops, 56, landed his first head coach job at Kentucky in 2013. Across 11 seasons with the Wildcats, Stoops has compiled a 73-64 record and is the all-time winningest head coach in program history. They improved to 7-5 this season after defeating No. 10 Louisville, 38-31, on the road Saturday.

Before hiring Stoops, Kentucky had only one 10-win season since 1951. Under Stoops, the Wildcats posted 10-win seasons in 2018 (10-3) and 2021 (10-3). Stoops claimed SEC Coach of the Year honors in 2018. Kentucky also finished with seven-plus victories in seven of its last eight seasons and won four consecutive bowl games at one point.

Prior to joining the Wildcats, Stoops served as the defensive coordinator at Florida State (2010-12). He started as a graduate assistant at Iowa (1990-91) before being in various assistant coach roles at South Florida (1996), Wyoming (1997-99), Houston (2000), Miami (2001-03), Arizona (2004-09) and FSU. Stoops also spent time as the athletics director and defensive backs coach at Nordonia High in Macedonia, Ky. (1992-95).

As a player, Stoops was a defensive back for the University of Iowa (1986-89) under College Football Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry. He helped the Hawyekes participate in four straight bowl games before landing a graduate assistant role.
 
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My personal take is that there was some serious mutual interest. Story I’m hearing is that the A&M boosters etc went apoplectic at the prospect of Stoops being their new HC, so they constructed some way for both Stoops and A&M to save face.

I just hope our AD hasn’t given him what amount to a lifetime contract like he did with Calipari 5 years or so ago.
 
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ghost_of_ukalum1988 said:
My personal take is that there was some serious mutual interest. Story I’m hearing is that the A&M boosters etc went apoplectic at the prospect of Stoops being their new HC, so they constructed some way for both Stoops and A&M to save face.

I just hope our AD hasn’t given him what amount to a lifetime contract like he did with Calipari 5 years or so ago.
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Stoops has done well at Kentucky. I think he would be a good hire for AM. Sounds like no deal though.
 
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Kensucky fans breathing a sigh of relief - but this would make me wonder about the coach going forward.
 
DLinOrlando said:
Kensucky fans breathing a sigh of relief - but this would make me wonder about the coach going forward.
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Yeah, as you might expect, the UK FB boards have really blown up today over what’s happened in the last 24 hours. The UK 247 board actually reported Stoops to A&M as a done deal, then had to retract it a few hours later.

Most UK fans respect what Stoops has accomplished, but perceive that he is plateauing and probably won’t take UK any farther than what he’s done so far.

I’m certainly curious to see what the impact of this will be on recruiting. So far our top defensive commit has indicated he’s still fully committed…. We’ll see.
 
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Not sure what to think of Stoops. He is good for somewhere like KY but not sure if he can be a championship level coach. I don't think he ever went better than 5-3 in the SEC even with the East having some bad years compared to the West. Kiffin pulled a 6-2 SEC record this year at Ole Miss.
 
DLinOrlando said:
Time to sell our soul to the devil again? Urbs is done coaching. His words: "I never knew this life existed"
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Meyer also said he'd never coach in the NFL the second he got hired at UF. There are other things he said he'd never do but it eventually happened. We'd be fools to not want a coach with a 187-32 record in college. While he was at OSU, he actually learned from several mistakes he made while at UF.
 
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Obviously if urb wants back in, you make it happen. My guess would be too much heavy lifting for him at this point.
 
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Who the hell else can fix this immediately? Good thing about Urban is he doesn't have a buyout. Dan Lanning does.
 
Now with the departure of assistant coaches, Napier is starting next season as HC.
 
bradleygator said:
To win just about every game and a natty or two over 5 years and put your entire two deep into the nfl every year?
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So basically a mercenary and damn the costs.

I used to think this way back in my 20s & 30s. Jimbo wasn't a character guy either. I'll take a character guy like Norvell any day. I've never seen a team like what he's put together at FSU. Even the great teams under Bowden were made up of individuals with great talent that just "out talented" their opponents. This team is disciplined with a brotherhood mentality. They are all bought in with their coach. I admire the hell out of that. The 12-0 is just icing.

I'll be 50 in a few months, so maybe I'm just getting old and sentimental.

Regardless, I think Urban is a real sleazeball.

 
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alaskanseminole said:
So basically a mercenary and damn the costs.

I used to think this way back in my 20s & 30s. Jimbo wasn't a character guy either. I'll take a character guy like Norvell any day. I've never seen a team like what he's put together at FSU. Even the great teams under Bowden were made up of individuals with great talent that just "out talented" their opponents. This team is disciplined with a brotherhood mentality. They are all bought in with their coach. I admire the hell out of that. The 12-0 is just icing.

I'll be 50 in a few months, so maybe I'm just getting old and sentimental.

Regardless, I think Urban is a real sleazeball.

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I don’t think many of these guys are pillars of society. NCAA football is a complete circus. I’m not sure how much being a good citizen has to do with it. I’d trade Napier in 2 seconds for Hugh Freeze.
 
What do people think of the AZ coach? A nice turnaround but it isn't the same pressure cooker out west.
 
Gator Fever said:
What do people think of the AZ coach? A nice turnaround but it isn't the same pressure cooker out west.
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Jedd Fisch is also a UF grad and served as a grad assistant under Spurrier. He's sort of wired like Spurrier and Meyer when it comes to losing.
 
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gatordad3 said:
With A&M landing Elko, I'm liking our chances of Urban Meyer returning to UF after Napier is given his buyout. Getting rid of Stricklin and Foley must also happen.
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Urbie never gonna end up at his "dream job" Notre Dame is what you're saying?
 
NorthJerseyGator said:
Urbie never gonna end up at his "dream job" Notre Dame is what you're saying?
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Urban sort of trashed Napier for having no concept of momentum when he felt that Napier should have built it after the Tennessee win. Urban sees the talent now and what's coming to Gainesville. Why wouldn't he want to inherit what UF has and will soon have?
 
gatordad3 said:
Urban sort of trashed Napier for having no concept of momentum when he felt that Napier should have built it after the Tennessee win. Urban sees the talent now and what's coming to Gainesville. Why wouldn't he want to inherit what UF has and will soon have?
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Does Urban still have the fire in the belly though?
 
alaskanseminole said:
So basically a mercenary and damn the costs.

I used to think this way back in my 20s & 30s. Jimbo wasn't a character guy either. I'll take a character guy like Norvell any day. I've never seen a team like what he's put together at FSU. Even the great teams under Bowden were made up of individuals with great talent that just "out talented" their opponents. This team is disciplined with a brotherhood mentality. They are all bought in with their coach. I admire the hell out of that. The 12-0 is just icing.

I'll be 50 in a few months, so maybe I'm just getting old and sentimental.

Regardless, I think Urban is a real sleazeball.

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Blobby never GAF whether his players were thieves or rapists. My youngest brother's girl friend from the past 15 years was an FSU trainer, female that is. The stories from her are epic. Mickey Andrews almost went apeshit when a player was harrassing her. Back in those days, they had certain players bussed from lockup to the practice field and then later returned back to county lockup at night. That reputation was earned and not a myth. Blobby was no St Bowden, and that's a fact.
 
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NavigatorII said:
Blobby never GAF whether his players were thieves or rapists. My youngest brother's girl friend from the past 15 years was an FSU trainer, female that is. The stories from her are epic. Mickey Andrews almost went apeshit when a player was harrassing her. Back in those days, they had certain players bussed from lockup to the practice field and then later returned back to county lockup at night. That reputation was earned and not a myth. Blobby was no St Bowden, and that's a fact.
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Yep, the poor old bastard even sold his soul for a 2003 win at The Swamp.
 
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gatordad3 said:
Yep, the poor old bastard even sold his soul for a 2003 win at The Swamp.
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That was a true day in infamy. Jim Rome, who is a complete asshole, roasted the ACC officials after that game. Not one, but SIX game changing wrong calls and it still took a miracle for them to win that game. Had their been replay in those days, the Gators would have buried them by 30 points. I still take that one personally. 😡
 
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NavigatorII said:
That was a true day in infamy. Jim Rome, who is a complete asshole, roasted the ACC officials after that game. Not one, but SIX game changing wrong calls and it still took a miracle for them to win that game. Had their been replay in those days, the Gators would have buried them by 30 points. I still take that one personally. 😡
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The '03 swindle in the Swamp and the '01 December UTjv loss which became Spurrier's final home game as HBC were like the two worst home games while I was a student.
 
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gatordad3 said:
Meyer also said he'd never coach in the NFL the second he got hired at UF. There are other things he said he'd never do but it eventually happened. We'd be fools to not want a coach with a 187-32 record in college. While he was at OSU, he actually learned from several mistakes he made while at UF.
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Nick Saban was also NOT LEAVING the Miami Dolphins to take the job at Bama.
 
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gatordad3 said:
Urban sort of trashed Napier for having no concept of momentum when he felt that Napier should have built it after the Tennessee win. Urban sees the talent now and what's coming to Gainesville. Why wouldn't he want to inherit what UF has and will soon have?
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I think our roster is middle of the road SEC. It’s not as good as when urb took over for Zook.
 
alaskanseminole said:
So basically a mercenary and damn the costs.

I used to think this way back in my 20s & 30s. Jimbo wasn't a character guy either. I'll take a character guy like Norvell any day. I've never seen a team like what he's put together at FSU. Even the great teams under Bowden were made up of individuals with great talent that just "out talented" their opponents. This team is disciplined with a brotherhood mentality. They are all bought in with their coach. I admire the hell out of that. The 12-0 is just icing.

I'll be 50 in a few months, so maybe I'm just getting old and sentimental.

Regardless, I think Urban is a real sleazeball.

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Wait. Did I not explain this earlier? (probably another thread) Blobby was anything but a saint. Well documented from Free Shoes to inmates in garnet and gold. 😂
 
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