The Kentucky Wildcats come into the season with the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC with Mark Stoops. At the same time, the Wildcats have another new offensive coordinator with Bush Hamdan taking over that role.
Ahead of his first Fall camp with Kentucky, Hamdan has already seen how Stoops has found so much success at Kentucky. In particular, as he explained during an appearance on Andy Staples On3, it comes down to how Stoops treats those around him.
“I think it’s a testament to everything Coach has done here,” Bush Hamdan said. “Really, it starts with how you treat people. I think that he’s got a culture of efficiency. He’s got a culture where he’s gonna hold people accountable but treat people right. It’s impressive. I think that’s one of the biggest selling points I have here. There’s been numerous guys that have had opportunities to leave but it’s not only the longest-tenured SEC coach but it’s the longest-tenured SEC staff and the loyalty they’ve had to him.”
Mark Stoops took over at Kentucky in 2013. Since then, he’s led the Wildcats to a 73-65 record and eight straight bowl appearances. That’s after he took over a program that went a combined 7-17 in the two seasons before he took over.
As Hamdan pointed out, there is a lot of loyalty on the Kentucky staff to Stoops. That has, in many places, created stability. However, offensive coordinator has admittedly not been one of those spots. Since 2020, the Wildcats have had four different offensive coordinator changes. This being Hamdan’s first season, he’s still learning about the culture there but has enjoyed his time there already.
“It’s been tremendous,” Hamdan said. “Again, you said it, they know exactly who they want to be in all phases of developing the program, what the team looks like, and a lot of times what that will allow you to do is not waste time on the front end and allow you to grow in areas you need to grow in.”
Mark Stoops proud of his longevity at Kentucky
Mark Stoops has found more success and longevity than just about anyone else in Kentucky history, with the most games coached by anyone in program history. It’s longevity that he is, rightfully, proud of when asked about it on The Paul Finebaum Show.
“Nobody knew I’d be here 12 years. I’m very grateful. And I was saying this earlier, and [UK SID] Tony [Neely] gives me some good insight and some information, but I mean, there’s been 19 coaches in the history of this league that stay 12 years. Obviously Coach [Nick] Saban was 18, and there are some pretty good names on that list. Well, I’m proud to be a part of that,” Stoops said.
“And I’m proud to be at Kentucky. I think I’ve told you this before, and it’s true. I feel like I’m a very good fit there. I feel like you know, I really like it there. I feel like I’m well received. That doesn’t mean everybody’s always going to like it. It’s a hard job, but I embrace it and I’m grateful to be there.”
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