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Texas A&M has tapped Mark Stoops as a top target to lead the Aggies football program, according to multiple reports. The two sides are reportedly deep in discussions to make the hiring official, though no deal has been finalized, according to The Athletic.
Stoops, 56, took over a moribund Kentucky team in 2013, eventually guiding the Wildcats to a bowl game appearance in his fourth season. Since 2018, Stoops has quietly transformed into one of the top coaches in the SEC. He has a 47-28 record over the past six years with four bowl wins over the past five seasons. Kentucky has won 10 games twice over that period, which matches the same number that Texas A&M has since 1998. Prior to Stoops’s arrival, the Wildcats had not won 10 games since 1977.
Stoops would replace Jimbo Fisher, who was fired after six seasons with the Aggies. Fisher was hailed as a savior when he was hired away from Florida State; the school gifted Fisher a blank national championship plaque to set the expectation of his tenure. After a lackluster 6-4 start to the 2023 season, however, Texas A&M brass had decided it was time for the marriage to end. Fisher is owed more than $70 million in buyout funds, tripling the next-highest buyout in college football history.
In contrast to Fisher, Stoops is known as a solid developer and talent identifier. He came to Kentucky after a successful stint as defensive coordinator at Florida State — ironically, under Fisher. Stoops is the brother of former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and former…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/texas-a-m-coaching-search-kentuckys-mark-stoops-emerges-as-top-target-for-aggies-per-reports/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2023-11-26 04:23:54
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