Stoops to be named head coach at Kentucky

A Stoops brother is on his way to becoming the face of an SEC program, but it's not longtime Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.

Instead, brother Mark Stoops is set to replace Joker Phillips at Kentucky, as first reported by Matt Jones of KentuckySportsradio.com.

The Florida State defensive coordinator, who has never been a head coach before, has been with the Seminoles since 2009, previously working at major programs such as Arizona and Miami. On Monday, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher denied that Stoops had interviewed for the UK job after it had been reported last week.

Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones was considered one of the favorites for the job, but talks reportedly broke off between him and the Wildcats.

The 45-year-old Stoops certainly deserves to get a shot at a head gig, although he's in for a bit of a rude awakening as there's not a ton of veteran defensive talent in Lexington. It's an incredibly young unit so it remains to be seen just how much talent Stoops can coax out of the defense. But working at FSU will certainly help on the recruiting trail because Stoops is familiar with various pipelines. Shoring up the defensive line will certainly be a priority, as is bringing in an offensive staff that could excite the fan base.

In Tallahassee, Stoops took over a unit that ranked 108th in total defense in 2009 but improved to 42nd in 2010, fourth in 2011 and second in 2012.

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