For the first time in a long time, we have a Kentucky football coaching search on our hands. The last time the Wildcats were looking for a new head football coach, this website had two employees, and I was an intern writing 200-word posts from my frat house. Kentucky had an indoor practice facility that was shrunk by a track, which was a quarter-mile away from their locker rooms and outdoor practice fields. Paying players was taboo. Now, it\u2019s legally sanctioned as the primary tool to build rosters. It had been 35 years since Big Blue Nation had experienced a 10-win season. <\/p>\n
A lot changed for the better under Mark Stoops<\/a>\u2018 watch, but it was time for that watch to end after 13 seasons (including two of the 10-win variety). The Wildcats had momentum at the dawn of the NIL era, then stalled out with consecutive losing seasons, capped off by losses to Vanderbilt and Louisville with a combined score of 86-17. <\/p>\n News leaked on Sunday night, and Mitch Barnhart made an official announcement on Monday morning<\/a>. Now, we play the waiting game. <\/p>\n The Kentucky Sports Radio crew has been preparing for this moment. We\u2019ll know how much Mitch Barnhart and his colleagues have prepared, based on how quickly this process unfolds. It\u2019s going to be hectic, and we\u2019ll hold your hand every step of the way. <\/p>\n When news breaks, the KSR Live Blog will have you covered. If you\u2019re looking for more scuttlebutt and conversation about everything, KSBoard<\/a> is the place to be. Members also have access to Rivals\u2019 Cats Illustrated<\/a>, the place where Jeff Drummond broke the news around 9:20 pm on Sunday night. The Cyber Monday sale<\/a> is the best deal the bosses run all year, 50% off an annual subscription, and it\u2019s conveniently timed up with a chaotic time around Big Blue Nation. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a time for change around the Kentucky football program. We\u2019ll keep you one step ahead with LIVE updates below. <\/p>\n Kentucky Football Hot Board 1.0<\/a><\/p>\n By:Nick Roush<\/a>A Thank You to Mark Stoops12\/01\/2025 09:24:48 AM<\/p>\n We\u2019ll have plenty more to say about Stoops\u2019 accomplishments in Lexington, but for now, this will serve as the official salute from the school. <\/p>\n By:Nick Roush<\/a>Florio: Kentucky Players Believe Chip Kelly is the Next Coach12\/01\/2025 09:12:55 AM<\/p>\n Mike Florio works for NBC and is on Sunday night\u2019s \u201cFootball Night in America.\u201d When he\u2019s not on TV, he posts on Pro Football Talk. His latest one is eye-opening. <\/p>\n \u201cWord is circulating among Kentucky players that Kelly could be the team\u2019s next head coach,\u201d writes Florio. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean he will be. It doesn\u2019t even mean he\u2019s an official candidate. It means only that Kentucky players have somehow developed the impression that Kelly could be the new coach.\u201d<\/p>\n Consider the source before you read too much into this. Florio is in deep in the NFL rumor mill. He\u2019s in so deep that our friends at Pardon My Take describe some of his work as \u201cFlorio Fan Fiction.\u201d This rumor may be floating around NFL circles, with Raiders\u2019 fans hoping it alleviates the buyout they owe him, but you shouldn\u2019t take it to the bank. <\/p>\n Kelly was the UCLA head coach from 2018-23. He left on his own volition because of NIL demands of the position and became the Ohio State offensive coordinator. After helping the Buckeyes win a National Title, he served as Pete Carroll\u2019s offensive play-caller in Vegas for 11 games. <\/p>\n Mike Florio\u2019s Post on Pro Football Talk<\/a><\/p>\n By:Nick Roush<\/a>Recent History Says This Will Move Fast12\/01\/2025 09:06:27 AM<\/p>\n The Coaching Carousel moves quickly, even after the SEC got five new head coaches on Sunday. Many might think that Kentucky got behind the 8-Ball, but we still expect Mitch Barnhart and the Kentucky administration to move quickly. Why? They\u2019ve done it before. <\/p>\n Nobody could foresee John Calipari\u2019s departure for Arkansas. The news became official on April 9. On the night of April 11, we learned Mark Pope would be the Wildcats\u2019 next head coach. Keep your head on a swivel. Things happen quickly in coaching searches. <\/p>\n By:Nick Roush<\/a>ARCHIVES: Will Stein Grew Up Cheering for Kentucky12\/01\/2025 08:59:58 AM<\/p>\n You\u2019ve heard that Will Stein spent his childhood cheering for the Kentucky Wildcats. It\u2019s not just an old wives\u2019 tale. <\/p>\n His father, Matt Stein, played defense for Jerry Claiborne when the Wildcats won at Tennessee in 1984. Like his son Will, he was a walk-on from Trinity who earned a scholarship. The family had season tickets, and before Will earned the start at quarterback for Louisville in 2011, he could recall those experiences vividly. <\/p>\n \u201cSo this is definitely special to me, going back to Commonwealth (Stadium). I spent a lot of games there,\u201d he said. \u201cI still know I was in section 128, row 13. \u2026 Obviously, now I\u2019m not \u2018for them\u2019 at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Even though he played at Louisville, Will Stein grew up in a Kentucky football family. <\/p>\n [2011 Herald Leader Article: Family of Louisville QB Blees Blue \u2014 Most of the time<\/a>]<\/p>\n