BREAKING: Mark Stoops STAYING at Kentucky | Stoops turns down Texas A&M
The coaching carousel took another dramatic turn as reports emerged that Kentucky would retain their coach hours after that Texas A&M would hire Mark Stoops to be their next head coach.
Pete Thamel of ESPN confirms the initial report that Stoops is staying in Lexington and not headed to College Station.
Initial reports had Stoops as the leading contender for the job and ultimately the hire.
One could surmise what the potential Stoops hire could have meant to A&M fans. It could be said the hire would’ve been catastrophically dire much like Greg Schiano’s brief tenure as Tennessee’s head coach a few years ago
What’s next for Texas A&M?
The Aggies will get back to the drawing board after a lot of vitriol made its way online regarding the potential hire of Stoops.
Interim head coach and co-defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson has been championed by the players to get the full-time job. It’s expected that he stays on at College Station regardless of role.
It remains to be seen in which direction the Aggies will head towards as a leading candidate took himself out of contention. Could they go after the likes of Jedd Fisch, Jeff Traylor, Ryan Day, or even Dabo Swinney? Is there a potential hire that most fans can be happy with?
Per Billy Liucci of TexAgs.com, there was an offer made out to Stoops but the board of regents did not accept his hiring. The BOR saw the outrage of the potential hire and 86’d the deal as a result.
What’s next for Stoops as he stays at Kentucky?
Coach Stoops released a statement via “X” minutes ago in the late hours of Saturday night / Sunday morning. Coach’s statement can be found as such below:
It could be speculated that Stoops had a change of heart due to the wildly intense reactions from A&M fans. Another reason for his staying in Lexington is a leverage play for a higher salary per annum. Kentucky is a great place for him and his family. He can continue to build upon the foundation of success and be handsomely compensated to do so. The fiscal hegemony of the SEC is too good to pass up for any coach it seems. The facilities are equal to the best programs in the country and are consistently updated.
The future is bright for the Wildcats as they have a top-25 recruiting class and a known developer of talent still there to coach them.
Stay tuned to NFL Draft Diamonds for more coaching carousel updates! We would like to apologize for the erroneous report that Stoops was a done deal prior.
Joseph is a veteran writer of many publications past and present. He is a long-time Tennessee Titans fan and draft scout/analyst, along with writing about the league is a passion project. Mr. Yun has been credentialed to the Senior Bowl multiple times. Readers will find he brings the juice with a scout’s eye and analytical mind. Follow me on Twitter @2Yoon2ZeroBlitz for more good stuff!