Ohio Football Topic
Topic: Mark Stoops To Ohio
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Speaker of Truth
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Posted: 12/20/2025 1:54 PM
Hearing from a few sources that Mark Stoops is on the short list. Money may not make sense, but he’s one of a few “last stop” Solich types on list.
Doc Bobcat
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Posted: 12/20/2025 2:43 PM
Speaker of Truth wrote:expand_more
Hearing from a few sources that Mark Stoops is on the short list. Money may not make sense, but he’s one of a few “last stop” Solich types on list.
Interesting…but OK with Hauser.
SBH
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Posted: 12/20/2025 2:43 PM
Does he drink, date and/or like Mexican food? These questions must be asked
TWT
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Posted: 12/20/2025 3:39 PM
Stoops is 72-80 at Kentucky and 4-4 in bowls. Two 10 win seasons in 13 SEC seasons.

If I were to say what the ideal recruiting approach for Ohio would be I'd have ith this way.

1) 15 in-state freshman players (box out MAC schools)
2) 5 best available freshman players.
3) 50% transfer portal greatest need.
4) 50% transfer portal best available.

The current recruiting class has 14 players from Ohio so we might be close to the ideal mix already under Hauser and the current staff.

Stoops I thought had a reputation for recruiting Ohio well over at Kentucky.

Ohio players recruited by Stoops
2014 11
2015 5
2016 12
2017 7
2018 5
2019 3
2020 6
2021 3
2022 3
2023 3
2024 3
2025 5

Overall national class rank (24/7)
2014 22
2015 39
2016 33
2017 29
2018 37
2019 38
2020 25
2021 23
2022 20
2023 30
2024 24
2025 25

Stoops Ohio recruiting seemed to tail off but he definitely had a pipeline in his time at UK. I could see where he'd help Ohio recruit better across the south than what Ohio is doing now. Of course all relative at a G6 job instead of an SEC job.
Doc Bobcat
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Posted: 12/20/2025 4:08 PM
I wonder how many portal guys UK will have?

Hmmmmmm.
STVCastle
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Posted: 12/20/2025 4:18 PM
I wouldn't mind Mark Stoops. He's not my first choice (that would be Hauser), but if we end up with Stoops, let's hope we catch lightning in a bottle Solich Style.
ohio9704
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Posted: 12/20/2025 9:23 PM
Speaker of Truth wrote:expand_more
Hearing from a few sources that Mark Stoops is on the short list. Money may not make sense, but he’s one of a few “last stop” Solich types on list.
Not sure money is the issue. He received 4 million upon his dismissal from UK, then gets 6.75 million a year until April 2031 per my lazy AI search. Also, no offset language that would take money away if he got another job.
Last Edited: 12/20/2025 9:25:18 PM by ohio9704
Pete Chouteau
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Posted: 12/21/2025 9:58 AM
I'd prefer not to. He became a destructive force at UK and it will take years to clean it out of the buildings.
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 12/21/2025 2:25 PM
Pete Chouteau wrote:expand_more
I'd prefer not to. He became a destructive force at UK and it will take years to clean it out of the buildings.
What do you mean by "destructive force"?
Pete Chouteau
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Posted: 12/21/2025 4:17 PM
He engaged in a power struggle against basketball to pull resources to football, won the power struggle and chased the basketball coach out of town, then decided to spend more time with his horses than recruiting. His attitude since the departure of John Calipari has been arrogance and disdain, but no results to make anyone want to tolerate it.

Many would argue that UK football has not been the same since the death of Offensive Line Coach John Schlarman in 2020. He built the Big Blue Wall and UK offense since declined badly.

Just my opinion though. It has no weight.
GoCats105
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Posted: 12/22/2025 12:35 PM
I'm with Pete on this. I don't want a retread head coach who's batting under .500 for his career and whose conference winning percentage was .358.

He made his money off scheduling piss poor non-conference games almost guaranteeing they would go 4-0 (if Louisville was bad) and then praying that the rest of the SEC East division was terrible and/or getting a blessing from the scheduling gods. It happened a couple times and it was great; two 10-win seasons at UK in football shouldn't be discredited. But go back and look at those seasons and tell me you have any faith that a Stoops coached team could lead Ohio to new heights. I fail to see it.

2018: 9-3 with a bowl win over Penn State in the Citrus Bowl.
Non-conference wins over Central Michigan, Murray State, Middle Tennessee and a POS Louisville team at the end of the 2nd Bobby Petrino era that finished 2-10. This was probably Stoops' best team. He beat a Florida team that won 10 games, a Mississippi State team that won 8 and only lost by 6 in OT to a 9-win Texas A&M. Still got housed by 3 scores against UGA at home though.

2021: 9-3 with a bowl win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
Non-conference wins over Louisiana Monroe, Chatanooga, New Mexico State and Louisville. They again got crushed by UGA and followed it up with two straight losses to Mississippi State and Tennessee, teams they absolutely should have beaten. They beat both LSU and Florida this season, but both of those teams were bad and going through coaching upheaval.

It's really hard to find Stoops' best win throughout his tenure at UK and they never really tested themselves in the non-conference because they always had that Louisville game in their back pocket. Of course, it's Kentucky football and it's the SEC. You schedule as many wins as possible when you're one of the have-nots.
Last Edited: 12/22/2025 12:37:04 PM by GoCats105
Bobcat1996
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Posted: 12/22/2025 4:48 PM
Doc Bobcat wrote:expand_more
Hearing from a few sources that Mark Stoops is on the short list. Money may not make sense, but he’s one of a few “last stop” Solich types on list.
Interesting…but OK with Hauser.
If Coach Hauser is not the guy, then this university better be prepared for the possibility of 20 recruits going elsewhere and a portal exodus of which Ohio will have trouble recovering from.
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 12/22/2025 8:37 PM
Bobcat1996 wrote:expand_more
Hearing from a few sources that Mark Stoops is on the short list. Money may not make sense, but he’s one of a few “last stop” Solich types on list.
Interesting…but OK with Hauser.
If Coach Hauser is not the guy, then this university better be prepared for the possibility of 20 recruits going elsewhere and a portal exodus of which Ohio will have trouble recovering from.
OHIO lost what 53 players and won the MAC. No need to be a drama queen.
greencat
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Posted: 12/22/2025 9:53 PM
I just heard something from a former Yahoo sportswriter who got a tip that there is a different 50-year-old-ish veteran coach topping the list and there could be "an announcement" as soon as Wednesday.

Not a guarantee as anything could happen in the next few days.
Doc Bobcat
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Posted: 12/22/2025 9:57 PM
greencat wrote:expand_more
I just heard something from a former Yahoo sportswriter who got a tip that there is a different 50-year-old-ish veteran coach topping the list and there could be "an announcement" as soon as Wednesday.

Not a guarantee as anything could happen in the next few days.
Stoops is 58.
greencat
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Posted: 12/23/2025 3:49 AM
Doc Bobcat wrote:expand_more
I just heard something from a former Yahoo sportswriter who got a tip that there is a different 50-year-old-ish veteran coach topping the list and there could be "an announcement" as soon as Wednesday.

Not a guarantee as anything could happen in the next few days.
Stoops is 58.
And the person that (maybe) gets the gig is not named Stoops.

At least per that former sportswriter.

It's a person already being griped about in another thread.
Doc Bobcat
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Posted: 12/23/2025 6:55 AM
greencat wrote:expand_more
I just heard something from a former Yahoo sportswriter who got a tip that there is a different 50-year-old-ish veteran coach topping the list and there could be "an announcement" as soon as Wednesday.

Not a guarantee as anything could happen in the next few days.
Stoops is 58.
And the person that (maybe) gets the gig is not named Stoops.

At least per that former sportswriter.

It's a person already being griped about in another thread.
.

Kevin Johns is 50.
Alaska Cat
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Posted: 12/23/2025 7:12 AM
Give Coach Hauser a shot!
If not he, find an up and coming guy.
Stop with the retreads.
Look @ the MAC coaching. Getting better and better from top to bottom.

Although not sure Hauser can recruit, give him a shot.
If not, a young "fire in the belly" guy who can recruit, with high school & transfer portal.studfent/athletes.
Bobcat1996
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Posted: 12/23/2025 8:13 AM
Coach Hauser has been in Athens for four seasons. Name another conference school that has had more success than the Bobcats the last four seasons. Coach Hauser has been a great DC and will keep consistency in this football program that has just two losing seasons in last 20 years. Coach Isphording has done a good job developing the QBs. The Bobcat QBs the last few years have been instrumental in the unprecedented success this program has achieved. The Bobcats have been successful because Frank and Albin hired good staff members. Coach Smith was able to keep some of the staff from the change last season. The players want Hauser. The coaches want Hauser. Give Hauser the job or risk losing many players and recruits. That is not being a drama queen, that is a fact!
Diamond Cat
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Posted: 12/23/2025 9:00 AM
I'm still PO'd about the Smith situation. Coach better be guilty as hell or they are morons. It isn't like good football coaches are beating down our door. Oh well.

That said, how can it not be Hauser? Common sense tells us the transfer out bus will be making multiple trips to A-town if it isn't him. We would be fortunate to keep a quarter of our recruits. How many seasons would it take to fix that situation?
SBH
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Posted: 12/23/2025 9:59 AM
Diamond Cat wrote:expand_more
I'm still PO'd about the Smith situation. Coach better be guilty as hell or they are morons. It isn't like good football coaches are beating down our door. Oh well.

That said, how can it not be Hauser? Common sense tells us the transfer out bus will be making multiple trips to A-town if it isn't him. We would be fortunate to keep a quarter of our recruits. How many seasons would it take to fix that situation?
PO'd (or P'd O?) at whom? Shouldn't most of your ire be directed at Smith?
Kevin Finnegan
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Posted: 12/23/2025 10:42 AM
Coach Smith did some stupid things in his personal life, but it doesn't seem (so far) to rise to the level of termination. From the outside, it feels like a new AD comes in and doesn't like the new guy and wants to put his stamp on the program from the start. If that's the case, I can't see it being Hauser. That wouldn't be a power move by the new AD.
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Posted: 12/23/2025 10:57 AM
SBH wrote:expand_more
I'm still PO'd about the Smith situation. Coach better be guilty as hell or they are morons. It isn't like good football coaches are beating down our door. Oh well.

That said, how can it not be Hauser? Common sense tells us the transfer out bus will be making multiple trips to A-town if it isn't him. We would be fortunate to keep a quarter of our recruits. How many seasons would it take to fix that situation?
PO'd (or P'd O?) at whom? Shouldn't most of your ire be directed at Smith?
Let's be honest. The bourbon in the office is nothing yet this leadership felt it would bolster their case to fire him. Sleeping around being grounds for firing a [successful] football coach is simply laughable.
Cats5
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Posted: 12/23/2025 10:59 AM
stockercat wrote:expand_more
I'm still PO'd about the Smith situation. Coach better be guilty as hell or they are morons. It isn't like good football coaches are beating down our door. Oh well.

That said, how can it not be Hauser? Common sense tells us the transfer out bus will be making multiple trips to A-town if it isn't him. We would be fortunate to keep a quarter of our recruits. How many seasons would it take to fix that situation?
PO'd (or P'd O?) at whom? Shouldn't most of your ire be directed at Smith?
Let's be honest. The bourbon in the office is nothing yet this leadership felt it would bolster their case to fire him. Sleeping around being grounds for firing a [successful] football coach is simply laughable.
Lane Kiffin would've been fired years ago if fooling around with students is a big deal.
spongeBOB CATpants
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Posted: 12/23/2025 11:12 AM
stockercat wrote:expand_more
I'm still PO'd about the Smith situation. Coach better be guilty as hell or they are morons. It isn't like good football coaches are beating down our door. Oh well.

That said, how can it not be Hauser? Common sense tells us the transfer out bus will be making multiple trips to A-town if it isn't him. We would be fortunate to keep a quarter of our recruits. How many seasons would it take to fix that situation?
PO'd (or P'd O?) at whom? Shouldn't most of your ire be directed at Smith?
Let's be honest. The bourbon in the office is nothing yet this leadership felt it would bolster their case to fire him. Sleeping around being grounds for firing a [successful] football coach is simply laughable.
This is firmly where I stand as well. My gut is also pointing me to President Gonzalez as the decision maker as opposed to Larscheid.
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