Entering his ninth season at Kentucky, Mark Stoops is now considered a top 15 coach in college football. Pro Football Focus’ Seth Galina ranked the 20 best coaches in the sport and Stoops came in at No. 14. Galina’s rankings differ slightly from other lists in that he places a bigger emphasis on which coaches give their teams the most opportunities to win games and defy expectations rather than wins, losses, and rankings; in that regard, Stoops is flying high.
“The Stoops era of Kentucky football is a case study in not giving up too soon on a coach when you are not a national power,” Galina writes.