Wait, Haven’t We Heard The “Motivated” Line Before?

@CoachRyanKY

LEXINGTON- Mark Stoops is entering his thirteenth season as the Head Coach for Kentucky’s Football Program, the longest tenure in school history (ouch). His once program-defining stability, well- - stable by Kentucky standards, and player development made him basically a Demi-God in Lexington. However, sitting here in the Lord’s year of 2025, there is little-to-nothing to look forward to when the Cats take the gridiron for their home opener in about a months.

We’ve seen the slogans through the years. “We’re just getting started, bro” -or- “Why Not Us?”. We’ve heard all of the Coach speak for the last thirteen off-seasons about being doubted, disrespected, and about how Kentucky is going to “shock the world”. However, with the exception of a mere couple of years, the appetite for Kentucky football we all have was filled with the equivalent of a chain fast-casual dining restaurant.

There is one harsh truth that Stoops will have to reckon with. “Motivation” doesn’t win football games. Team discipline, physical prowess, game planning, and great decision making (a thing that has been Stoops’ kryptonite during his time in Lexington.) Let’s face it, this story has been told before. Stoops has leaned into the underdog, “blue collar” narrative for his entire time here. How many times has he spouted off to the media about being from Youngstown somehow makes him tougher than the average American? News flash Mark, it doesn’t. Many of the players you recruited have come from much more daunting communities/living situations. You’re the son of a successful High School football Coach, not an orphan wandering the inner city streets of Youngstown for scraps.

The thing that makes me most frustrated is that the SEC is not waiting. In 2025, Kentucky’s margin for error is even smaller now that Texas and Oklahoma have joined the fold. Kentucky used to make its living beating the second-fiddle SEC teams: the South Carolina’s and Missouri’s of the world. That is no longer a foregone conclusion. Both have climbed past Kentucky in recent recruiting cycles and have fiery-and (maybe truly motivated) men at the helm of their respective programs. Stoops has been good here, but he has never adjusted to the speed of the modern game. Kentucky is reactive, not proactive. How many times have we seen Stoops get a lead and milk the clock when there was still PLENTY of football left to be played?

Mark Stoops has earned respect in Lexington. He is the all-time winningest Coach in program history. He took our beloved Cats to heights never thought possible by the rational members of BBN. But the sport has moved forward-and Kentucky cannot live in the past. “Motivated Stoops” might win the off-season, but fans are not laughing “with” Stoops anymore, they are laughing “at” him. If Kentucky wants to win more than four football games in 2025, Stoops is going to need a lot more than “motivation” and a “blue collar attitude”. Those things might get you through fall camp, but I am sure Lane Kiffin (or any other SEC Coach) will care when they stand across the sideline.

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Ryan D. Hoots
Untd We Stnd, Sports Director

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Can Kentucky Football Fans Keep Their Nose On The Grindstone?

By Ryan Hoots • August 9, 2025

@CoachRyanKY LEXINGTON- We’ve all heard the song, penned by one of the most prominent modern Kentuckians. While I don’t think Kentucky Wildcats football will push you to hardcore opioid abuse as mentioned in the song, I keep thinking of the song’s title when it comes to the 2025 season. Look, I’m no stranger to this, I get it. It’s summer time! We should all collectively be grilling burgers, blaring patriotic music, enjoying the late sunsets, and sipping on an ice cold beverage pool side. However, we’d be pretending if we weren’t counting down the days until it is football time in the bluegrass. Here we are, under a month left in the season, and there’s a pit in your stomach that you can’t seem to shake. We remember those words, “We are going to be a better football team”, uttered by Mark Stoops in the Spring when doubt seemed to be at an all-time high. We can put a dress on last year’s season, but it doesn’t change the fact it was uglier than a muddy, three-legged pig wearing lipstick. It was almost like the Offensive Line had an allergy to tackling and that Kentucky’s coaches were unaware that forward passing has been legal in football for over a century. “Oh, but Stoops is motivated” one might say. The other ugly truth is that tenured Kentucky fans know that motivation doesn’t win football games. There are questions up-and-down the roster. Will it be Boley or Calzada’s team? Will the new offensive linemen take their medicine and lay the lumber in the trenches? Running Back? Good luck figuring that one out. Could the Wildcats surprise us in 2025? Unlikely. There are far too many question marks, unprovens, and talent discrepancies compared to the juggernaut’s awaiting Stoops and company. “Daddy I’ve been tired, I just can’t catch a break.” Tyler Childers, Nose on the Grindstone (hopefully not an omen to this season Like my work? Follow me on X @CoachRyanKY Ryan D. Hoots Untd We Stnd, Sports Director