Reports: Texas A&M set to hire Kentucky’s Mark Stoops as new head football coach
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Billy Luicci of TexAgs and multiple other media outlets are reporting that Texas A&M is set to hire Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops.
After firing former head coach Jimbo Fisher on November 12, A&M athletics director Ross Bjork immediately began looking for his replacement. With Bjork leading the effort, the Aggies held their first national search for a head football since 2018.
Stoops, 56, landed his first head coach job at Kentucky in 2013. Across 11 seasons with the Wildcats, Stoops has compiled a 73-64 record and is the all-time winningest head coach in program history.
Prior to joining the Wildcats, Stoops served as the defensive coordinator at Florida State (2010-12). He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa (1990-91) before holding various assistant coach roles at South Florida (1996), Wyoming (1997-99), Houston (2000), Miami (2001-03), Arizona (2004-09) and FSU. Stoops also spent time as the athletics director and defensive backs coach at Nordonia High in Macedonia, Ky. (1992-95).
As a player, Stoops was a defensive back for the University of Iowa (1986-89) under College Football Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry. He helped the Hawyekes participate in four straight bowl games before landing a graduate assistant role with the team.
Stoops’ Wildcats are coming off of an upset win over No. 10 Louisville, 38-31. Saturday’s win brought the team’s record to 7-5, a similar record to Kentucky’s 7-6 in 2022, which ended in a Music City Bowl loss to Iowa. Stoops’ best seasons came in 2018 and 2021 when Kentucky went 10-3 with Citrus Bowl wins.
Stoops signed an extension with Kentucky last year paying him 9 million dollars a year. His buyout is north of 4 million dollars.
