Mark Stoops wants to have an exciting offense that features the pass and the run.
Who will be the next Kentucky offensive coordinator? Everyone seems to have a guess/opinion. Some prefer a coach with NFL ties. Others like a proven college offensive coordinator. Others think finding a rising star in the coaching ranks might be best for Kentucky.
No one knows for sure except Kentucky coach Mark Stoops — and he’s not giving away anything after firing assistant coaches Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw Sunday.
“I’ll tell you this; if you hear any information out there, it’s probably not right because I’m keeping it tight,” Stoops said.
He did share this football nugget.
“The nice thing is there’s a lot of people interested. I have a lot of work to do, a lot of due diligence,” the UK coach said. “We’re in here going through a lot of things on the phone and on paper, digging into some people. Obviously, I’ll get on the road and go out and visit with quite a few guys as well.”
Stoops says his search won’t be limited to coaches he knows or has a relationship with. He noted that his last two defensive coordinators — Matt House and Brad White — were coaches he did not know before a coaching search.
“Matt House did a heck of a job and went on and won a Super Bowl. And Brad White, I didn’t know him a lick either, you know? But they’ve both done a fantastic job for me and been great additions to our staff,” Stoops said.
The UK coach said any coach has a list of potential additions for his staff but also has to be ready for what names might pop up when jobs become open like the UK position did on Sunday.
“New names may come in front of you. Again, you have to do your due diligence that way,” Stoops said. Everybody would like to make a hire quickly, but not at the expense of getting the right guy. You have to do due diligence, make sure you get the right person.”
Stoops insists he will keep an “open mind” about what offensive philosophy he’s searching for in his new coordinator.
“Obviously I want to be exciting and I want to be able to throw the football, be balanced, get the ball down the field. That’s not lip service,” he said.
“Believe me, the people that think this is Mark Stoops, I’m in there telling them what to do and how to do it, I do not do that. I don’t have the time to do that, I don’t care to do that, I have to have confidence in the people I have around me. Obviously I had confidence in Eddie and Darin, they did a great job.”
Stoops said he has “so many irons in the fire as a head coach” that he is not drawing up plays for the offense to run.
“I need somebody to be able to come in and do it, run (the offense). I want to be like everybody. I want to score points, be explosive and be fun to watch,” the UK coach said.
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