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One of Rivals.com’s analysts, Mike Farrell, tweeted out on Sunday that Mark Stoops is one of the top ten head coach recruiters in the nation:
Top 10 head coaching recruiters... 7. Mark Stoops #Kentucky 8. Swinney 9. Malzahn 10. Golden
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) August 3, 2014
I think this is awesome in a number of ways. I can’t recall ever having a head coach in football that would make the top ten of anything like recruiting against the national guys. If you think about it, it’s even more remarkable for a head coach with only 1 year of experience in the top job.
Stoops has certainly made his mark on recruiting, and done so powerfully. Now, he has to accomplish an even more important task — winning football games in the SEC. It has, and always will be difficult to win in the SEC, but you can recruit as much talent as you want. The bottom line, and what he’s going to be evaluated on, is the won-loss record.
Having disclaimed all that, let me just say that I’m very proud of what this coaching staff has done so far. They have impressed almost anyone except the most partisan fan bloggers with the way they have managed to overcome Kentucky’s traditional difficulties in getting quality “Jimmys and Joes.” The next step is to get these players to deliver on the field, and I have every confidence Stoops & Co. can do that, beginning this season.
Hat tip: NextCats