The likely reason why Mark Stoops changed his tune about Tennessee's recruiting violations
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops generated some headlines two years ago when he said during a radio interview that he wasn't surprised by the Tennessee Vols' NCAA recruiting violations under Jeremy Pruitt. "I have to be careful with my response here," said Stoops during an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio in January 2021. "Did I see […]
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops generated some headlines two years ago when he said during a radio interview that he wasn't surprised by the Tennessee Vols' NCAA recruiting violations under Jeremy Pruitt.
"I have to be careful with my response here," said Stoops during an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio in January 2021. "Did I see it coming? Yes. I am grateful it came. Does it surprise me? Not one bit.”
Tennessee's recruiting violations from the Pruitt era are in the news again this week thanks to penalties handed down by the NCAA last Friday.
On Wednesday at SEC Media Days in Nashville, Stoops was asked if he had any new thoughts on the violations with many of the details becoming public over the last week.
The Kentucky head coach had a much different tune on Wednesday than he did two years ago. Instead of throwing shade at Tennessee, Stoops totally dodged the question.
"You know, really, at this point, I have no reaction," said Stoops. "That was two years ago, and I’ve moved way beyond that. So no disrespect, but I just don’t have anything. I don’t know, you know, much about it, and worried about my own backyard. And so it is what it is. I have no control over that."
That's a very different answer than what Stoops gave in 2021.
But I think there may have been a good reason for why Stoops wasn't willing to trash Tennessee on Wednesday.
It has to be because of Josh Heupel. When Stoops made those comments in 2021, Heupel hadn't been hired yet by the Vols.
The Stoops family, of course, has a long history with Heupel. Bob Stoops, the retired former Oklahoma head coach, won his only national championship thanks to Heupel, who was the Sooners' quarterback at the time. Heupel then served on Stoops' coaching staff from 2006 to 2014 before he was unceremoniously dismissed after Oklahoma went 8-5 in 2014.
(Heupel has worked alongside three of the Stoops brothers. Heupel worked with Mark Stoops at Arizona in 2005…Mike Stoops was the head coach.)
Despite the fact that Bob Stoops fired Heupel, it's clear that the family still has a lot of respect for the former Oklahoma quarterback. And that was evidenced by Mark Stoops' remarks about Heupel last season.
"Josh has done a remarkable job," said Stoops before Kentucky played Tennessee last season. "And you have to give him credit for what he's done and the success he's had both at UCF and Tennessee. And to some extent, no it doesn't surprise you. Josh has always been a winner."
That respect for Heupel is almost certainly why Stoops declined to offer any thoughts on what happened at Tennessee before Heupel's arrival.
It seems as though Stoops' "shade" at Tennessee two years ago was really shade at Pruitt.
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Featured image via Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
