9. Are there any distractions with Mark Stoops to Florida State rumors?
The Florida State Seminoles fired Willie Taggart midway through the season. Now, a major coaching serach has begun, and it actually affects this game in what could be a big way. Rumors have already floated with Bob Stoops, who shot them down, and even Nick Saban by some desperate fans on Twitter.
Former Tennessee football head coach Lane Kiffin has also been floated, but given all the drama Jimbo Fisher left, FSU probably doesn’t want somebody who brings more off-the-field drama. A guy they could turn to, though, is Mark Stoops himself, who was the defensive coordinator for FSU just before he got hired at UK. Jeremy Pruitt, ironically, succeeded him.
Now, there’s the chance that the Fisher drama will deter them from hiring anybody involved with that staff, but what Urban Meyer left with the Florida Gators didn’t stop them from hiring Dan Mullen. So it’s possible. And just the rumors alone should serve to be a major distraction for the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. Who wouldn’t be distracted by that?
So how will they handle it? That’s a big deal if they’re going to be able to win this game. Kentucky already has enough issues dealing with Rocky Top. They don’t need another one about their best coach in modern history potentially leaving for what anybody would objectively consider to be a better job. That makes this a major key to the game. They can’t let it affect how they play.