Mark Stoops broke his silence Tuesday, one day after Kentucky ended his 13-year run as head coach. He released an emotional statement thanking players, staff and the Big Blue Nation for “one of the greatest honors” of his life.
This also comes a two days after he said there was a "zero-percent" chance he left the university.
“To all of my former players, coaches, staffers and the Big Blue Nation, from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” Stoops wrote via On3. “Kentucky has become my home and I’ll be forever grateful to have been your head coach.”
Stoops arrived in Lexington at the start of 2013 and became the longest-tenured coach in the SEC before Monday’s dismissal. He departs as the winningest coach in program history, posting an 82-80 record and guiding the Wildcats to eight consecutive bowl appearances from 2016-23.
However, the program fell down over the last two seasons, going 9-15 and missing the postseason twice. A late three-game winning streak gave Stoops a brief chance at salvaging his job, but losses to Vanderbilt and Louisville sealed his fate.
Kentucky moved quickly, hiring Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, a Louisville native who will coach the Ducks through the College Football Playoff.
Stoops’ future remains uncertain, but his legacy with the program and delivering its most consistent era in decades remains firmly intact.
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