Kentucky crushed Tennessee-Martin 50-7 on Saturday, but it appears that the game wasn't the only thing it didn't lose. Coach Mark Stoops has been rumored as a candidate to fill the current head coaching vacancy at Florida State, but after the game, Stoops made it clear he won't be leaving Lexington.
"This is where my heart is, this is where I'm going to be," said Stoops. "I'm going to be at Kentucky."
Now, granted, Stoops would not be the first coach in history to say he was going to stay at a job and then leave, but this sounds like a declarative statement. Plenty of coaches give evasive answers or qualify them by saying things like "I plan" or "at the moment," but Stoops didn't do that.
All of which is good news for Kentucky fans. Stoops is in his seventh season at the helm, and while he's only 42-44 overall, the Wildcats went 10-3 last season. After Saturday's win, they're 6-5 despite suffering more than their fair share of injuries on offense. Today's win ensured that the Wildcats will be going to a bowl game for the fourth straight season. It's the first time Kentucky has accomplished that since going to five straight bowls from 2006 to 2010, and only the second time it's put together such a streak in program history.
Noles247 reported on Saturday that Stoops had met with Florida State officials about the job last week in Cincinnati. Stoops spent three seasons as Florida State's defensive coordinator from 2010-12. That's the job Stoops left behind to take over at Kentucky.
Stoops is also the second member of his family to turn down the chance to take over at Florida State. It remains to be seen whether or not Mike Stoops gets the next shot.
