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The Kentucky Wildcats football program was dealt a big blow earlier this week when defensive backs coach and top recruiter Steve Clinkscale opted to leave the Bluegrass for the Michigan Wolverines.
Clinkscale built a Kentucky pipeline in Michigan, landing several of the state’s top players, as well as in Tennessee.
While the loss seems big for Kentucky, UK recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Vince Marrow isn’t worried.
On a Kentucky Sports Radio appearance, Marrow said, “First of all, nothing against Clink, I love Clink. He’s going to Michigan. Come on; I think we’re a better program — not I think, I KNOW we are.”
He added, “My point is like this like you said. We ain’t ever going to take a backseat to nobody. We love what we got going on here. I think it’s just going up. Our recruiting classes are showing that. A lot of these schools are trying to take shots at us and to me, I kind of like it.”
While many may laugh at the idea of Kentucky being a better program than Michigan, the results of the past handful of seasons suggest Marrow isn’t lying.
In 2020, the Wildcats put together a 5-6 season in a year that featured 10 SEC contests. They capped off the year with a bowl win over No. 23 North Carolina State.
Michigan went just 2-4 in a COVID-shortened 2020 that saw them lose games to unranked Michigan State and Penn State teams, as well as top-25 Indiana and Wisconsin teams. Their lone wins came in three overtimes over Rutgers and at a 3-4 Minnesota team.
Looking back to 2018 and 2019, Kentucky went 10-3 with a Citrus Bowl victory in 2018 while Michigan also went 10-3 but lost the Peach Bowl 41-15 to a Florida team UK defeated earlier in the season. In 2019, Kentucky went 8-5 with a Belk Bowl win, while Michigan went 9-4 with a Citrus Bowl loss.
Thus since 2018, Kentucky is a combined 23-14 and 3-0 in bowl games, while Michigan is 21-11 with an 0-2 bowl record.
Maybe Marrow’s right, maybe he’s not; regardless, he’s not worried about Kentucky’s red hot recruiting run ending any time soon; thus, neither should the BBN.
Be sure to check out Marrow’s full KSR appearance and get even more fired up for the state of the program and heading into the 2021 college football season.