While many may not believe the Kentucky Wildcats program has what it takes to repeat their 10-win season from a year ago, everyone seems to agree on one thing: Mark Stoops is a great head coach.
Entering his seventh season as the head coach of the Wildcats, Stoops will look to reach his fourth straight bowl game. In his first six seasons at Kentucky, the program had never decreased it’s win total from the season before, and in 2018, won 10 games for the first time in over four decades.
By turning around the historically mediocre Kentucky Football program, Stoops has earned the respect among both media and opposing coaches around the country. However, in an SEC stacked with big-name coaches, he still doesn’t quite crack the top of the conference coaches power rankings.
In a list put together by 247 sports Stoops ranks as the seventh-best coach in the conference. Perhaps the only questionable name ahead of him is Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, who is just 2-4 in bowl games with the Tigers and is believed to be on the hot-seat entering 2019.
Here’s the full list:
14. Chad Morris, Arkansas Razorbacks
13. Matt Luke, Ole Miss Rebels
12. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt Commodores
11. Barry Odom, Missouri Tigers
10. Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee Volunteers
9. Joe Moorhead, Mississippi State Bulldogs
8. Will Muschamp, South Carolina Gamecocks
7. Mark Stoops, Kentucky Wildcats
6. Gus Malzahn, Auburn Tigers
5. Ed Orgeron, LSU Tigers
4. Dan Mullen, Florida Gators
3. Jimbo Fisher Texas A&M Aggies
2. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs
1. Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide
Thoughts?