Maybe Barnhart will give Stoops another raise and contract extension

[Joneslab]

Mumme got hit with the scandal at the end of his tenure, which tainted him. Brooks also happened to come in at the end of his career obviously.

I think both those guys, in different situations, might have been able to go on to better things after UK.

Really we haven't had a lot of coaching talent. I don't know if it's the UK job that kills these coaches' careers or it's just that we've had a string of bad coaching hires--or a combination of both

I also think the SEC hurts Kentucky more than it helps. Cincinnati and Louisville have both not only brought in great coaching talent, but I think it's better for your program if you can go 7-5 and go to a bowl and then sustain that over a period of time than it is to play in a league where you're going to have definite losses most every year with no chance of winning the league. (The fact that the SEC is down this year is yet another bitter pill to swallow.)

[surveyor]

Since Claiborne, we've aimed low, for the most part, with regard to coaching talent, save for Curry. I wasn't that high on Mumme. There wasn't sufficient background to me to warrant coaching at a D-1 prominent conference school.

I had a lot of high hopes for Curry when he was announced. Other than that, there's not been a coaching hire that got me excited for what UK could be. I was lukewarm on the Brooks hire, but was willing to give him a chance and was encouraged by what he was able to do regarding a degree of stability. Joker ended up crapping all over that.

[KevinHall]

Retired-resigned. Semantics. Left on his own accord. No coach has left for another job and succeeded.

Bryant and Blanton Collier are about the only coaches who left UK and did well. Collier went to pro's and was an assistant for Cleveland and then became head coach. He won an NFL championship for them 1964. I'm not sure who came in after Collier. But I do know the coaches that have come and gone since I have kept up with UK football (1971) have either retired,been fired and never coached anywhere else or been a bust to where they went to coach. UK is a coaching graveyard and I doubt any head coach who has been remotely successful at an FBS school would want to come here. The best chance for UK to get a up and coming coach is to take a chance on good cooridinator. Stoops was just that but he didn't or hasn't worked out yet.

[Matt Dillon]

Bryant and Blanton Collier are about the only coaches who left UK and did well. Collier went to pro's and was an assistant for Cleveland and then became head coach. He won an NFL championship for them 1964. I'm not sure who came in after Collier. But I do know the coaches that have come and gone since I have kept up with UK football (1971) have either retired,been fired and never coached anywhere else or been a bust to where they went to coach. UK is a coaching graveyard and I doubt any head coach who has been remotely successful at an FBS school would want to come here. The best chance for UK to get a up and coming coach is to take a chance on good cooridinator. Stoops was just that but he didn't or hasn't worked out yet.

Despite having a winning record, Collier was fired by UK. He was replaced by Charlie Bradshaw, just one in a long line of inept fb coaches at UK.

[KevinHall]

Despite having a winning record, Collier was fired by UK. He was replaced by Charlie Bradshaw, just one in a long line of inept fb coaches at UK.

I didn't remember him being fired. He was before my time. Yes that would be surprising but he succeeded the Bear and I guess he couldn't live up to his winning ways.

[Matt Dillon]

I didn't remember him being fired. He was before my time. Yes that would be surprising but he succeeded the Bear and I guess he couldn't live up to his winning ways.

Another interesting tidbit, if I'm not mistaken, Collier was the only UK coach to have a winning record against then arch rival Tn. The Bear certainly didn't. I believe he only beat UT once in eight attempts.

[surveyor]

Bryant and Blanton Collier are about the only coaches who left UK and did well. Collier went to pro's and was an assistant for Cleveland and then became head coach. He won an NFL championship for them 1964. I'm not sure who came in after Collier. But I do know the coaches that have come and gone since I have kept up with UK football (1971) have either retired,been fired and never coached anywhere else or been a bust to where they went to coach. UK is a coaching graveyard and I doubt any head coach who has been remotely successful at an FBS school would want to come here. The best chance for UK to get a up and coming coach is to take a chance on good cooridinator. Stoops was just that but he didn't or hasn't worked out yet.

Precisely. I differ regarding up and coming coordinator as head coach. After Stoops, I'm more inclined to look for an up and coming head coach - someone who's learned to be a HC on someone else's dime, not ours.

[Joneslab]

The name I see more than any other is P.J. Fleck.

But this is probably the year for him to make the jump. Hard to imagine that Kentucky's going to be able to pay the buy-out, so we may be stuck with what we've got.

[Old School]

Mumme got hit with the scandal at the end of his tenure, which tainted him. Brooks also happened to come in at the end of his career obviously.

I think both those guys, in different situations, might have been able to go on to better things after UK.

Really we haven't had a lot of coaching talent. I don't know if it's the UK job that kills these coaches' careers or it's just that we've had a string of bad coaching hires--or a combination of both

I also think the SEC hurts Kentucky more than it helps. Cincinnati and Louisville have both not only brought in great coaching talent, but I think it's better for your program if you can go 7-5 and go to a bowl and then sustain that over a period of time than it is to play in a league where you're going to have definite losses most every year with no chance of winning the league. (The fact that the SEC is down this year is yet another bitter pill to swallow.)

Bad coaching hires, IMO. UK has not had any AD in recent decades with any sense about football. They've usually made poor hires that did not work out. Mumme was an unorthodox hire that generated some success and I'll give Newton some credit for that. An AD with more football savvy would've vetoed bringing in the likes of Major and Bassett and put some more adults in the room, maybe guys like Joe Lee Dunn and Steve Ortmayer. Mumme as a new UK HC with a seasoned veteran college DC who knew the ropes could've produced some lasting positive results.

The school generally just doesn't exercise good sense or judgment with football. They don't hire AD personnel who know it anywhere near as well as their counterparts elsewhere.

If Northwestern, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, WKU, Stanford and others who were further in the wilderness than Kentucky has been can bring in a staff that can get it together for winning seasons and bowl games, there is no reason Kentucky can't, except for self-imposed reasons like entrusting the athletics department to people who just don't know what to do with it.

[Old School]

I have to assume if we could've hired Brian Kelly or Kirby Smart, we would've.

Do you assume that because of Barnhart's record of hiring coaches like those guys instead of coaches like Joker Phillips (13-24) and Mark Stoops (13-26), or Billy Gillispie (40-27)?

[Old School]

I'm not going to go through a list of 30 coaches and speculate on which would have taken the job nor how they would have done at it. I suppose given the right amount of $$$$ a lot of them would have been interested. Other than that why would they consider it? The football coach at UK is not exactly a glorious job that is sought after by the masses. And likely never will be. I don't know how many would have done worse or better that Stoops. If I were to take a guess I would say most would have produced similar results. To think many of those guys is going to come here, play in the league they do and win 8 or 9 games a year is just fantasy.

It happened at Vanderbilt. It happened at Northwestern. It happened at Stanford. It happened at Baylor. It happend at Kansas State. It happened at WKU. Missouri won the East two years in a row. But Kentucky has to be different? Really? Why?

[Old School]

There are 128 D-1 football schools I believe. Of course there are going to be some that turn things around. There are also those that go the other direction. I don't see Steve Spurrier or Bobby Bowden coming here so that knocks a few off your list. Baylor has sold there soul to win games. Kansas was as much of a fluke as has ever been. Unless you can convince Bama, Ga, LSU and the rest of the SEC to take pity on UK I just don't see the future for a football coach here being very bright.

Neither Steve Spurrier nor Bobby Bowden were on that list. But there were many coaches who were available, and who have succeeded since then.

It happened at Vanderbilt. Not every year, but they had two 9 win seasons back to back. It happened at Northwestern. It happened at Stanford. It happened at Baylor. It happened at Kansas State. It happened at WKU. All of those programs were in worse shape than Kentucky. Missouri won the East two years in a row. But Kentucky has to be different? Really? Why?

[Old School]

Since Claiborne, we've aimed low, for the most part, with regard to coaching talent, save for Curry. I wasn't that high on Mumme. There wasn't sufficient background to me to warrant coaching at a D-1 prominent conference school.

I had a lot of high hopes for Curry when he was announced. Other than that, there's not been a coaching hire that got me excited for what UK could be. I was lukewarm on the Brooks hire, but was willing to give him a chance and was encouraged by what he was able to do regarding a degree of stability. Joker ended up crapping all over that.

And against that, there are some pretty successful coaches who were assistant coaches, or football players, or both, at Kentucky: Bill Arnsparger, Tommy Bowden, Ron Caragher, Jerry Claiborne, John Cooper, Sonny Dykes, Tony Franklin, Chuck Knox, Mike Leach, Tee Martin, Charlie McClendon, Howard Schnellenberger, Don Shula, Lovie Smith...

...Pat Riley...

It's too bad we didn't bring some of those guys back (or bring Claiborne back when he was in his prime or anywhere close to it). Charlie McClendon, among others, would've been a great coach at Kentucky. John Cooper would've gotten it done there.

[Old School]

Bryant and Blanton Collier are about the only coaches who left UK and did well. Collier went to pro's and was an assistant for Cleveland and then became head coach. He won an NFL championship for them 1964. I'm not sure who came in after Collier. But I do know the coaches that have come and gone since I have kept up with UK football (1971) have either retired,been fired and never coached anywhere else or been a bust to where they went to coach. UK is a coaching graveyard and I doubt any head coach who has been remotely successful at an FBS school would want to come here. The best chance for UK to get a up and coming coach is to take a chance on good cooridinator. Stoops was just that but he didn't or hasn't worked out yet.

Collier was a terrific coach. He did about the best anyone could with what UK was willing to give him to work with. UK fired him. His consolation prizes were NFL championship games. He probably would've had more on his resume had he not started to lose his hearing so badly.

I think UK's best chance may be to get an up and coming coach from a lower level program, but facilitate him having a staff with successful veteran assistants. Hire a good, experienced coordinator or two, guys who know the ins and outs and dos and don'ts of a big time successful college program, throw a ton of money at them if you have to, but put them for work for an innovative up and coming head coach from a lower level.

[catfaninin]

Neither Steve Spurrier nor Bobby Bowden were on that list. But there were many coaches who were available, and who have succeeded since then.

It happened at Vanderbilt. Not every year, but they had two 9 win seasons back to back. It happened at Northwestern. It happened at Stanford. It happened at Baylor. It happened at Kansas State. It happened at WKU. All of those programs were in worse shape than Kentucky. Missouri won the East two years in a row. But Kentucky has to be different? Really? Why?

Correct, they were not on the list. But you referenced Fla St and Florida having been bad and how they have improved.. Maybe having 2 of the all time great coaches played a part in that.