Kentucky Football: Neal Brown To Become Kentucky Offensive Coordinator

Neal Brown of Texas Tech is reportedly ready to accept a lucrative offer to become Kentucky's offensive coordinator.

Kentucky Wildcats Football: Big Blue Nation Gets Stoopified.

We aren't out of the woods by any means, but Kentucky football fans finally have a reason for excitement.

Kentucky Football: Evaluating Mark Stoops' Introductory News Conference

First of all, if you haven't seen his introduction, you can view it here. Media Q&A can be found at the same link. For those interested in reading the contract, you can find that here.

I was very happy to hear Stoops say that we were going to play "four down linemen" on defense, and that we would be "pretty multiple" out of that setup. I was never sold on the Rick Minter verson of the 3-4 (or 3-3-5, or whatever you want to call his riff on the alignment). The 4-3 is much easier for Kentucky to recruit to.

The 3-4 is a great defense when you can recruit athletic freaks at defensive end and monsters like former Alabama star Terrence Cody at nose tackle. But for teams like Kentucky who have to develop their players rather than just plug in NFL draft picks, it is easier to use the 4-3, the schemes are simpler, and it can be very effective even against exotic offenses (just ask Georgia Tech.)

It also pleases me that Stoops seems interested in an innovative offense. He really didn't expound to much on that, probably because he doesn't have a specific offensive style in mind, but when it comes to defense, he was quick to answer and unambiguous. I also think that his comments reinforce the rumor that D.J. Eliot, his compatriot at Florida St., will be joining us as defensive coordinator, even though he did not say that, or really imply it directly. Still, if you listen, I think you'll understand why I believe that.

He looked very nervous to me, but I think that's normal for a guy who is just taking his first head coaching job. I believed him when he said he believed he can win at Kentucky,and while I appreciated his objective of the SEC championship (you have to aim high), I will be surprised if he ever achieves that goal.

The truth is, though, he doesn't have to. What he has to do is produce winning seasons, and turn this football program into something it can reasonably aspire to -- consistent winning seasons with annual bowl appearances. I think that is doable, if difficult, and his commitment to the defensive side of the ball bespeaks a commitment to Kentucky football by the administration that I had thought not to exist. But Mitch Barnhart & Co. must follow through.

Nevertheless, this is exciting stuff. I suspect that his wish for a packed stadium next year will be realized. The Big Blue Nation looks very excited about this hire.

Kentucky Football: Mark Stoops Arrives in the Bluegrass

Here are some tweets showing pictures of Mark Stoops' arrival in the Bluegrass:

About every other fan who shook Stoops hand said, "Thank you for coming!" twitter.com/KyleTucker_CJ/…

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_CJ) December 2, 2012

Thank you for the warm welcome when we touched down in the Bluegrass. See you at Commonwealth at 2:45! twitter.com/UKCoachStoops/…

— Mark Stoops (@UKCoachStoops) December 2, 2012

At Nutter for press conference. Mark Stoops already has a prime parking spot:lockerz.com/s/265952076

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) December 2, 2012

Mark Stoops has arrived. #BBN #WeAreUK twitter.com/Ky1eSc0tt/stat…

— Kyle Scott (@Ky1eSc0tt) December 2, 2012

Here will be the scene for today's presser...stage, backdrop and some @drieffer to sex it up for the ladies:lockerz.com/s/265953276

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) December 2, 2012

The Mark Stoops era begins! #Pressconference twitter.com/AnnieDunbar14/…

— Annie Dunbar (@AnnieDunbar14) December 2, 2012

He's going to enter through here haha it's like a game day twitter.com/lyndseygough/s…

— Lyndsey Gough (@lyndseygough) December 2, 2012

Kentucky Football: Mark Stoops Helps Seminoles Win ACC Title, Turns Now To Lexington

The time has come, as they say. Mark Stoops, the newly-minted head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats football team, has coached his last game at Florida St. Seminoles, and what a game it was. From Fox Sports Florida:

And in what he admits is likely his final game on the Florida State sideline, Mark Stoops had his defense turn in a memorable performance to wrap up the program’s first conference title since 2005.

Safety Karlos Williams had a game-clinching interception of Tevin Washington with 1 minute left and the defense held Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense to 183 rushing yards — 140 below the Yellow Jackets’ season average — as Florida State escaped with a 21-15 win in the ACC championship game.

There's nothing better when your new head coach goes out with a bang at his prior school, and this was definitely a bang. The FSU offense struggled for the entire second half of the football game to produce points, and only Mark Stoops' defense stood between Florida State and an ignominious upset to Georgia Tech.

SBNation's excellent Seminoles community, Tomahawk Nation, has more:

The defense, in Mark Stoops' final game, saved the game by forcing field goals and only allowing one touchdown drive by a good Georgia Tech offense. The game wasn't over until Karlos Williams made an excellent play on a ball to seal the game with an interception. An improbable win for Tech and an equally horrible loss by FSU was averted.

John Clay has more:

“I do not want to distract anymore and there’s a lot of work to be done on both sides,” Stoops told reporters after the game. “[But] I don’t ever want to turn my back on this program and these kids. If I can help in any way and lock myself in an office with [FSU's] defensive coaches and devise a game plan, I’ll certainly do that.”

Now, the Tomahawk Nation bids goodbye to their former defensive coordinator, and the Big Blue Nation bids him welcome. He will be arriving in Lexington today for a press conference about his hiring:

UK invites fans to greet Mark Stoops at R.J. Corman in Nicholasville when plane arrives at 12:45 & at Commonwealth Stadium Gate 1 at 2:45.

— Dan Rieffer (@drieffer) December 2, 2012

Let's give our new coach a resounding welcome to the Big Blue Nation.

Kentucky Football: Mark Stoops Scuttlebutt 11.30.2012

Not that much news today, but a few interesting tidbits:

• According to KSR, a big welcome is planned.
• Howard Schnellenberger talks to Terry Meiners of WHAS about Mark Stoops. (The stuff about Stoops takes place about 6:00 in).
  
• Football Nation talks about the Stoops hire.

Tweets of interest:

#FSU at walk-thru in Charlotte. DC Mark Stoops still coaching em up (in black) twitter.com/Warchant_DC/st…

— D.C. Reeves (@Warchant_DC) November 30, 2012

Mark Stoops introductory presser LIVE Sunday on CWKYT and WKYT.com beginning at 3. Special half hour show Monday on WKYT at 7:30

— Steve Moss (@smosswkyt) November 30, 2012

Put in a FOIA for Mark Stoops' contract with UK's open records dept. but it won't be official until Sunday so no details until then

— Matt May (@TCPMattMay) November 30, 2012

Hearing an Oklahoma assistant could end up on Mark Stoops' UK staff. Most likely candidates appear to be Tim Kish and/or Ryan Walters.

— John Clay (@johnclayiv) November 30, 2012

Kentucky release says since announcement of new football coach Mark Stoops ticket office phones have been ringing "nonstop."

— Jen Smith (@jenheraldleader) November 30, 2012

Updating the Potential Assistant Coaching Hires

First, there is a very recent tweet from Pete Roussel of CoachingSearch.com:

Kentucky: I have just learned that former Northwestern State head coach Bradley Dale Peveto is likely to join Mark Stoops' coaching staff at Kentucky. No word yet on the position, but Peveto has a background of coordinating special teams.

Kentucky: WKYT is reporting that Mark Stoops may turn to Texas Tech offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Neal Brown to become the offensive coordinator at Kentucky. Brown is a former Kentucky player.

John Clay adds some stuff as well:

Various reports are repeating what Corey Clark, the FSU beat writer for the Tallahassee Democrat, said in a podcast I recorded with him on Tuesday, that defensive ends coach D.J. Eliot is likely to end up at Kentucky, possibly as defensive coordinator.

And more in a separate post:

The hot staff name the past couple of days is James Coley, the FSU offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. There is talk Stoops would like to bring Coley to Kentucky as either his offensive coordinator or as his associate head coach/recruiting coordinator with UK luring Texas Tech offensive coordinator Neal Brown, a former UK wide receiver, back to Lexington to run Stoops’ offense.

So we could get Brown and Coley? Interesting possibility there.

I have heard from several people about D.J. Eliot, so I think that seems to be the most likely unconfirmed rumor to be true. The Coley and Brown are a little bit of a longer shot, but it's fun to imagine the possibilities if it does come true.

I have to admit, this coaching search has been a lot more fun than the last one.

Kentucky Football: Mark Stoops -- From Like to Love

The Kentucky Wildcat football faithful have a new head coach to cheer for in Mark Stoops. The initial Big Blue Nation response has been positive, but the potential for a love affair is there.

Kentucky Wildcats Football: Reaction to the Hiring of Mark Stoops

Reaction from around the Internet to Kentucky's hiring of Mark Stoops as the 37th Kentucky head football coach.

Kentucky Wildcats Football: Mark Stoops Hired as Head Coach

Reports: Kentucky has hired Florida State Defensive Coordinator Mark Stoops as its new Head Coach.