Apologies as I got stuff in Atlanta traffic while Mark Stoops was speaking. Here are some highlights:
- Now owns a majority of a bourbon distillery because, of course. Said he will send some to Sankey.
- DeAndre Square played injured in the bowl game last year but came away with the game-sealing interception.
- On Will Levis: "So excited about Will, not only a great player and super talented, but unbelievable leader."
- On state of college football: "I don't know if there's ever been a more volatile, uncertain and ever-changing period within college athletics. In much of this we have very little or no control over as a head coach."
- This is his 10th year at Kentucky which is something that most coaches in Lexington don't make.
- On contending in SEC: "I am proud of that, and I appreciate the work. However, we're not satisfied. We want to continue to grow. We want to continue to push it. Obviously some teams at the top of the food chain in the East and the West are doing some really special things. So you have to continue to elevate your game."
- On NIL: "It's a complex issue. There's a lot of smart people that are trying to work it out. I think there's a lot of good to it with the players that are here with me, that helped build the brand of Kentucky football, and benefiting from name, image and likeness. I think we all support that, want to be part of it.
I think there's also concern. I haven't listened to anybody's comments, but I've been in meetings, and I think everybody is concerned as a head coach in the SEC with pay-for-play, so to speak, collectives, paying players out of high school. I think we're all a little bit concerned about the sustainability of that, the future of that. I think that's where the concern comes in. What is pay-for-play and what is legal?"
- His brother Mike is now on his staff
- On biggest question for team heading into fall camp: "I think it was brought up, we have to have some play-makers step up at the wide receiver position because we have a beast of a quarterback. We have to get some play-makers to step up and compete. We're going to have to depend on a few younger guys there. The older guys need to continue to step up.
Then just consistency. Anything that we've done well in the past doesn't mean it automatically carries over. We have to go out and prove it. We have to earn it, we have to stay hungry, work our tail off to take it to another level."
- FIN
- Now owns a majority of a bourbon distillery because, of course. Said he will send some to Sankey.
- DeAndre Square played injured in the bowl game last year but came away with the game-sealing interception.
- On Will Levis: "So excited about Will, not only a great player and super talented, but unbelievable leader."
- On state of college football: "I don't know if there's ever been a more volatile, uncertain and ever-changing period within college athletics. In much of this we have very little or no control over as a head coach."
- This is his 10th year at Kentucky which is something that most coaches in Lexington don't make.
- On contending in SEC: "I am proud of that, and I appreciate the work. However, we're not satisfied. We want to continue to grow. We want to continue to push it. Obviously some teams at the top of the food chain in the East and the West are doing some really special things. So you have to continue to elevate your game."
- On NIL: "It's a complex issue. There's a lot of smart people that are trying to work it out. I think there's a lot of good to it with the players that are here with me, that helped build the brand of Kentucky football, and benefiting from name, image and likeness. I think we all support that, want to be part of it.
I think there's also concern. I haven't listened to anybody's comments, but I've been in meetings, and I think everybody is concerned as a head coach in the SEC with pay-for-play, so to speak, collectives, paying players out of high school. I think we're all a little bit concerned about the sustainability of that, the future of that. I think that's where the concern comes in. What is pay-for-play and what is legal?"
- His brother Mike is now on his staff
- On biggest question for team heading into fall camp: "I think it was brought up, we have to have some play-makers step up at the wide receiver position because we have a beast of a quarterback. We have to get some play-makers to step up and compete. We're going to have to depend on a few younger guys there. The older guys need to continue to step up.
Then just consistency. Anything that we've done well in the past doesn't mean it automatically carries over. We have to go out and prove it. We have to earn it, we have to stay hungry, work our tail off to take it to another level."
- FIN
