Report: Former Oklahoma DC Mike Stoops to Join Staff at Kentucky
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
More coaching carousel news regarding former Oklahoma assistants.
Per a report from FootballScoop, former Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops is going to take a job along the defensive staff at Kentucky.
The Wildcats, of course, are coached by another Stoops brother in Mark Stoops who has been leading UK since the 2013 season.
Mike Stoops, meanwhile, has had an up and down career in the coaching ranks seeing great success and significant struggles at times.
After working at Kansas State from 1992-1998, Stoops came aboard his brother Bob Stoops’ staff at Oklahoma and helped build one of the best defenses in the country from 1999-2003.
He was so successful he was given the chance to run his own program as the head coach at Arizona, doing so all the way until 2011.
Stoops then made his return to Oklahoma in 2012 - but did not have the success he had in his first stint in Norman.
After defenses continued to decline seemingly year after year, Stoops was let go by OU in the middle of the 2018 season.
Now, after working as an analyst at Alabama for two seasons and then as the defensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic in 2021, he returns to major power football with the Wildcats in the SEC working primarily with the linebackers.
While it is unknown at exactly what point the Sooners will be making their transition to the SEC, this would seemingly set up the possibility of both Mark and Mike Stoops coaching against Oklahoma in the near future if all things hold.
As for 2022, the Wildcats will begin play on Sept. 3 at home against Miami (OH).
