Mark Thomas Stoops (born July 9, 1967) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the University of Kentucky, a position he has held since the 2013 season. Stoops is the all-time winningest head coach in the history of the Kentucky Wildcats football program. He is also the longest tenured SEC football coach.
Mark's brother, Mike, was hired as the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats for the 2004 season. Mike later hired Mark as part of his staff.[14][15]
Florida State
On December 11, 2009, Stoops accepted the job as defensive coordinator at Florida State University.[16]
Kentucky
On November 27, 2012, Stoops was hired as the new head coach of the University of Kentucky football program, replacing former head coach Joker Phillips, who was fired after a 2–10 season.[17][18] In Stoops' first season as the Kentucky Head coach, he went 2–10, followed by back to back 5–7 seasons.[19][20][21]
The 2017 season featured ups and downs and the breakout of star running back Benny Snell.[25][26][27] On October 28, Stoops led Kentucky to a 29–26 defeat of Tennessee.[28] The victory over the Volunteers marked the first for Kentucky since 2011 and only the second time since 1984.[29] The team finished with a 7–5 record in the regular season, losing afterwards in the Music City Bowl to Northwestern.[30][31]
The 2018 season was a historic one for the Wildcats. Paced by Snell on offense and Josh Allen on defense, they snapped a 31-year losing streak to Florida,[32] finishing 9-3–only the fourth time in school history that the Wildcats have won at least nine games.[33][34] Kentucky defeated Penn State in the Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2019, giving the Wildcats their first 10-win season since 1977, and only their third in school history.[35][36] Stoops was named SEC Coach of the Year, the first time a Kentucky coach had won the award since Jerry Claiborne in 1983.[37]
The 2019 season was one of overcoming adversity. After a 2–3 start in which they lost all of their quarterbacks to injury,[38][39][40] Kentucky turned to wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. to take over at quarterback.[41][42][43][44] With a revamped offense focused on the running game, the Wildcats finished the regular season with a 7–5 record routing Louisville 45–13 on Senior Day.[45][46] Kentucky capped the season with a thrilling win over Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, as the Wildcats scored the winning touchdown with 15 seconds remaining for an 8–5 finish.[47]
The 2020 season, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, saw Kentucky play a 10-game, All-SEC regular-season schedule. The high point was a 34–7 win at Tennessee their first win in Knoxville since 1984.[48] Despite a 4–6 record, Kentucky was still invited to a bowl game, specifically the 2021 Gator Bowl against No. 24 NC State.[49] Stoops led Kentucky to victory in the Gator Bowl 23–21, making it three straight bowl victories for the team.[50]
The 2021 season was marked by key transfer arrivals for both sides of the ball: quarterback Will Levis and wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson on offense and linebacker Jacquez Jones on defense. The aforementioned players' impact was significant; the offense scored 33.3 points per game while the defense allowed 22.1 points per game. The improved play from both offense and defense led to a 9–3 regular-season record, including a 20–13 home win against Florida.[51] Stoops lead Kentucky to a 20–17 victory over Iowa in the 2022 Citrus Bowl, giving the team its second 10–3 record since 2018, second Citrus Bowl victory in four years and fourth straight bowl victory.[52] The fourth consecutive bowl victory for Kentucky marked the longest streak in school history.[53]
The 2022 season marked Stoops' 10th season as head coach, becoming the football program's longest-tenured head coach in its history. Kentucky's Week 1 37–13 victory over Miami (OH) gave Stoops his 60th victory as head coach, tying Bear Bryant for the most in program history.[54] He became Kentucky's all-time winningest football coach after beating the Florida Gators on the road 26–16 in Week 2. Kentucky struggled through the season, finishing with a 7–5 record.[55] Kentucky was invited to the Music City Bowl, playing against Iowa for the second consecutive year. With starting quarterback Levis sitting out of the bowl game,[56] Kentucky was shut out by Iowa 21–0.[57] The shutout loss ended Kentucky's streak of bowl victories at four.
Stoops signed a contract extension on November 18, 2022, that will keep him in Lexington through the 2030 season.[58]
In the 2023 season, Stoops led Kentucky to a 7–6 season, culminating in a 38–35 loss to Clemson in the Gator Bowl.[59][60]
Personal life
Stoops is the younger brother of former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, former Arizona head coach and current Kentucky assistant Mike Stoops, and Ron Jr., the oldest of the brothers, who was an assistant coach at Youngstown State. Stoops and his wife Chantel have two sons, Will and Zach.[61] On January 4, 2021, the couple announced that they will be divorcing.[62]