6 Coaching Candidates to Replace Mark Stoops at Kentucky

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Kentucky is the latest team to make a coaching change, as Mark Stoops was fired as the program’s head coach. His dismissal comes after the Wildcats were thoroughly dominated in a 41-0 loss to Louisville on Saturday. Stoops is the winningest coach in program history. Since taking over in 2013, Kentucky went 72-80 and posted two 10-win seasons under Stoops. Despite all of Stoops’ success in Lexington, the program has been trending down in recent years. Since recording 10 victories in ‘21, the Wildcats have not won more than seven contests in a season. Additionally, in that span, the program won only nine matchups in SEC play and missed out on a bowl for two years in a row.

With Stoops out at Kentucky, six SEC jobs have changed coaches during this carousel.

Who could replace Stoops at Kentucky? Here are a few names to watch in the search:

6 Coaching Candidates to Replace Mark Stoops at Kentucky

Bob Chesney, Head Coach, James Madison
Chesney’s name has popped up in searches at UCLA and Penn State and could be a name to watch in East Lansing. The Pennsylvania native has won at every level, including a 20-5 stint at James Madison over the last two years. The Dukes are 11-1 and set to play for the Sun Belt Championship this season.

Brian Hartline, Offensive Coordinator, Ohio State
Hartline is one of the rising stars in the assistant coach ranks and has been mentioned for openings this offseason. After playing at Ohio State and in the NFL, the former receiver joined the Buckeyes’ staff in ‘17. After working in an off-field role for one season, Hartline emerged as one of the nation’s top receivers coaches (2018-24) and was promoted to play-caller in ‘25. Ohio State enters the Big Ten Championship averaging 37 points a contest and 6.9 yards per play. Hartline does not have any previous head-coaching experience, but he does have a tie to Kentucky, as his brother (Mike) was a former quarterback at the program.

Charles Huff, Head Coach, Southern Miss
Huff has quickly engineered a major turnaround at Southern Miss, guiding the program to a 7-5 record in ‘25 in his first year at the helm after the Golden Eagles went 4-20 in the two seasons prior. Before coming to Hattiesburg, Huff went 32-20 as the head coach at Marshall and led the program to a Sun Belt title in ‘24. He also has SEC experience from stints as an assistant at Mississippi State (2018) and Alabama (2019-20).

Dan Mullen, Head Coach, UNLV
Could Mullen return to the SEC? He went 69-46 as the head coach at Mississippi State and 34-15 at Florida before his dismissal during the ‘21 season. After being away from the sidelines for three years, Mullen guided UNLV to a 10-2 record this fall. The Rebels are set to play for the Mountain West title on Friday night.

Gerad Parker, Head Coach, Troy
Parker played at Kentucky from 2000-04 and later worked with the program as a graduate assistant in ’07. The West Virginia native has made stops in his coaching career as an assistant at Purdue, Duke, Penn State, West Virginia, and Notre Dame before becoming Troy’s coach in ’24. The Trojans are 12-12 under Parker’s watch, including an 8-4 record with a trip to the Sun Belt title game in ’25.

Will Stein, Offensive Coordinator, Oregon
Stein played his college ball at rival Louisville but is expected to be one of the top names in this search. The Kentucky native has worked at the collegiate level since 2020, including stints as the play-caller at UTSA (2022) and Oregon (since ‘23). Under Stein’s watch, the Ducks have consistently ranked among the nation’s best on offense. The former Louisville quarterback has no experience as a head coach at the FBS level.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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6 Coaching Candidates to Replace Mark Stoops at Kentucky

6 Coaching Candidates to Replace Mark Stoops at Kentucky

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