Mike Stoops to Join Brother Mark on Kentucky Staff: Report
Another former Sooner’s assistant has found a new home.
Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops is joining the defensive staff at Kentucky, per a report from FootballScoop.
Mike Stoops is expected to work primarily with the linebackers as he reunites with his brother, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops.
Mike Stoops has experience at all levels of college football coaching.
He started as a graduate assistant at Iowa before becoming their linebacker and defensive backs coach.
He served as a co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State from 1992-1998 and then joined his older brother Bob Stoops’ staff at Oklahoma. From 1999-2003, Stoops helped Oklahoma build one of the best defenses in the nation, which also led to a national championship in 2000.
He then was given the chance to lead his own team at Arizona, where he brought his brother Mark on to be his defensive coordinator. This was the only time in over 30 years of coaching that Mark had worked with one of his brothers at the collegiate level prior to now.
Following his time at Arizona, Mike Stoops went back to Oklahoma in 2012 before he was let go in the middle of the 2018 season.
He has since worked as an analyst at Alabama, where he was part of the 2020 national title team, and most recently served as defensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic in 2021.
The hiring of Mike marks the first time that Mark Stoops has hired one of his brothers.
