Mark Stoops is not surprised one bit about Tennessee’s recruiting scandal

Tennessee is in boiling hot water with the NCAA thanks to their latest football scandal, which allegedly involves recruits being paid in McDonald’s bags.

Yes, you read that correctly.

And no, Mark Stoops is not surprised one bit about it.

During a Tuesday appearance on KSR, the Kentucky head coach were asked about Tennessee’s recruiting scandal, and while Stoops didn’t delve into the details, he admitted it came as no surprise to him.

“I gotta be careful in my response here. Does it surprise me? Not one bit,” Stoops stated.

Given how sloppy Tennessee has allegedly been in giving recruits impermissible benefits, you have to think coaches around the SEC already knew there was some dirty recruiting tactics taking place in Knoxville. Stoops’ answer confirms as much.

There’s no question that Tennessee has been one of Kentucky’s biggest roadblocks in climbing up the SEC East, though Stoops has helped change things with two wins over the Vols since 2017, including the program’s first win in Knoxville since 1984. Between that and Tennessee’s trouble with the NCAA, the Vols could be closer to challenging Vanderbilt for the bottom of the SEC East than being a legitimate roadblock for Kentucky for the foreseeable future.