Brooks Gone?

[Neo]

http://www.sectalk.com/boards/images/avatars/uk1.gifCould Rich Brooks be fired?

By Chip Cosby

HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER


Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks and Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart met yesterday in what Brooks termed "a meeting of the state of the football program."

Brooks offered few details of the meeting with Barnhart but called it "pretty routine."

"We talked about where we are, where we're headed, how we got to where we are, and how we get out of it," Brooks said.

When asked if he and Barnhart were on the same page regarding the direction of the program, Brooks said, "Mostly."

Brooks said yesterday that he still is holding firm on the stance he made public two weeks ago.

He stated that he expected to bring back his entire coaching staff next season, including embattled offensive coordinator Ron Hudson, and that the administration could replace him if they asked him to make changes.
Kentucky's assistant coaches are under two-year contracts which expire in June. When asked if he expected he and his staff to return intact next season, Brooks said, "I'm assuming that we will." The Athletics Administration may disagree considering this seasons performance. Barnhart didn't return calls seeking comment on the meeting, but Brooks did get a vote of confidence from state Secretary of Commerce Jim Host, a longtime UK booster.

"(Brooks) has been a straight-up guy, a good guy, and they need to give him a chance to succeed," Host said. "I don't think you can judge him after two years. Give him a chance to clean up the mess made by (former UK coach) Hal Mumme."

Host said he isn't part of any coach search committee.

UK gets ninth commitment

Losses and uncertainty surrounding the coaching situation haven't kept the Kentucky football program from picking up verbal commitments recently.

The Wildcats got their ninth commitment this week from Salt Lake City offensive lineman Sefo Mailau.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Mailau is in his fourth year as a starter at East High School. While he plays on both the offensive and defensive lines at East, UK projects him as an offensive tackle.

East Coach Aaron Whitehead said UK linebacker coach Ron McBride was instrumental in getting Mailau to commit to Kentucky. East is located a block from the University of Utah, where McBride was head coach from 1990-2002.

• Seven UK players have been elected to the Academic All-District IV team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The election is the first step in the process of naming Academic All-Americans. To earn a nomination, a player must have a career grade-point average of 3.2 or higher, be a sophomore or higher in academic and athletic standing and be a starter or key reserve. Kentucky's first-team all-district honorees who will be on the national ballot are junior kicker Taylor Begley, junior fullback Alexis Bwenge and sophomore offensive tackle Hayden Lane. The second team honorees are junior tight end Jeremiah Drobney, senior offensive lineman Matt Huff, junior cornerback Antoine Huffman and senior wide receiver Gerad Parker.


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[Neo]

Personally, I think that if Mr. Brooks doesn't win at least 5 games next year, he's toast!

[Hardie]

If they get rid of Brooks they definatly need to think about gettin a name coach in there that really can bring Kentucky football up to par.

[Neo]

If they get rid of Brooks they definatly need to think about gettin a name coach in there that really can bring Kentucky football up to par.

I don't think Brooks was the right man to begin with. There was a reason why he was retired. I honestly think that Kentucky would need a proven winner like Mr. Holtz or someone of that nature to build the program back up and give it a solid foundation.

[Hardie]

I agree and I really dont see a coach that is available that could do that unless the Browns fire Butch Davis and then even if they do that who knows if a guy like Davis would even wanna come and coach at Kentucky.

[Neo]

I agree and I really dont see a coach that is available that could do that unless the Browns fire Butch Davis and then even if they do that who knows if a guy like Davis would even wanna come and coach at Kentucky.

Who thought Spurrier or Holtz would have wanted to come to USC? Kentucky is rich in football talent, they just need someone with the NAME to bring the program up from the pits of hell. LOL!

Granted Mr. Holtz didn't have the success that he wanted at USC, but he did build a good foundation for Spurrier to take to the next level. That's exactly what Kentucky needs. It's not like they don't have a history. Bear Bryant coached there for crying out loud.

[Hardie]

Thats true but I just dont see a big named coach ready to take up a challenge there yet. Kentucky is and will always be a basketball school. They going to put their money and their efforts into mainting the basketball traditions they have there. Any coach that comes in on the football side of things is going to have to deal with that and find a way to bring out the boosters to support football there as they have basketball.

[Neo]

Thats true but I just dont see a big named coach ready to take up a challenge there yet. Kentucky is and will always be a basketball school. They going to put their money and their efforts into mainting the basketball traditions they have there. Any coach that comes in on the football side of things is going to have to deal with that and find a way to bring out the boosters to support football there as they have basketball.


That's why I don't buy the fact that Kentucky can't compete. Louisville is right down the road so to speak and they have enjoyed a lot of success lately.

[Hardie]

Louisville has a pretty good coach , Esp considerin Auburn tried to get rid of Tubberville to get him, and they have a pretty good quarterback over there too. I think Kentucky can be competitive I just aint sure about how much so. Kentucky like I said id die hard basketball , I just aint sure how committed the school and alum is in gettin the football team to the level that basketball is there.

[Neo]

Louisville has a pretty good coach , Esp considerin Auburn tried to get rid of Tubberville to get him, and they have a pretty good quarterback over there too. I think Kentucky can be competitive I just aint sure about how much so. Kentucky like I said id die hard basketball , I just aint sure how committed the school and alum is in gettin the football team to the level that basketball is there.


If Mr. Brooks can pull out the upset at Tennessee, I say give him one last year.

[bpop02]

I believe (like the rest of the majority) that Brooks is not a bad coach. He has been pretty successful in his past coaching positions, but I do not think he is/was ready for a Head Coach position. We basically failed when he assigned the Offensive Coordinator position to Ron Hudson. He really messed with our offense and forced us into the 115th ranking in the NCAA out of 117 teams. You can't win without an offense. He should have been replaced through midseason when it was not working out and we had one of the worst offenses. Please, you do NOT run an option play on 3rd down. Everyone knows that. When you are at 3rd down and +8 yds to go, you pass, normally with a shotgun play. I can't believe he was the worst offensive coordinator, yet the highest paid OC in the SEC. It's INSANE!!!!

Therefore, if Brooks is not gone at the end of this season, hopefully next season he will be ready to make the necessary changes to bring our program back to where it should be. Not an elite team, but a .400+ finish will not be bad. We get 19 of our scholarships back, we are lifted from our probation (from the Mumme era), and we have a pretty strong recruit coming in at QB to fill a big hole in our lineup. Curtis Pulley, he is a 3 star QB at rivals.com. Pretty fast with his feet and can pass on the move. http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=23239

But enough said on that, if Brooks stays, this is his big chance, if he is gone, we need someone that has a name in college Football, and a good resume' to bring our program back to the promised land. And maybe even contend for a bowl game after a few seasons.

[Neo]

I believe (like the rest of the majority) that Brooks is not a bad coach. He has been pretty successful in his past coaching positions, but I do not think he is/was ready for a Head Coach position. We basically failed when he assigned the Offensive Coordinator position to Ron Hudson. He really messed with our offense and forced us into the 115th ranking in the NCAA out of 117 teams. You can't win without an offense. He should have been replaced through midseason when it was not working out and we had one of the worst offenses. Please, you do NOT run an option play on 3rd down. Everyone knows that. When you are at 3rd down and +8 yds to go, you pass, normally with a shotgun play. I can't believe he was the worst offensive coordinator, yet the highest paid OC in the SEC. It's INSANE!!!!

Therefore, if Brooks is not gone at the end of this season, hopefully next season he will be ready to make the necessary changes to bring our program back to where it should be. Not an elite team, but a .400+ finish will not be bad. We get 19 of our scholarships back, we are lifted from our probation (from the Mumme era), and we have a pretty strong recruit coming in at QB to fill a big hole in our lineup. Curtis Pulley, he is a 3 star QB at rivals.com. Pretty fast with his feet and can pass on the move. http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=23239

But enough said on that, if Brooks stays, this is his big chance, if he is gone, we need someone that has a name in college Football, and a good resume' to bring our program back to the promised land. And maybe even contend for a bowl game after a few seasons.


I agree 110%. The thing about Mr. Brooks though, out of 20 seasons of being a head coach, he only had 6 winning seasons. His overall record is 95-128-4. His best record while coaching was a fluke 9-4-0 while at Oregon. I feel that he has done way more harm then good at UK. What UK needs is a BIG name coach to stabilize the program. An example of what I mean is what Mr. Lou Holtz did at USC. Granted, he didn't have the success that he would have liked, but he brought national attention to the Gamecocks along with respect. Before Mr. Holtz retired, some of the top players in the southeast regularly considered USC when making their commitment choices. His name alone brought some top-tier talent to USC and he created a solid foundation that Mr. Spurrier can build on.

Before you say it, yes I think UK can get a top-tier coach. I really do. UK does have a winning history and a storied tradition. UK fans are much like USC fans. Very loyal and will stand by their team no matter what. There comes a time though when that isn't enough. When fans as yourself starting expecting/demanding more, you will get more.

As for coaches, who do you go after? I honestly don't think you have a very good shot at Mr. Meyer. Who else is available? Let's see...we have Mr. Ty Willingham, Mr. John Cooper, Danny Ford, Ron Zook and a few others. Mr. Danny Ford has expressed his desire to return to coaching. Currently East Carolina is talking with him concerning their coaching vacancy. If UK is going to get a big name guy in there, they better do it now.

FYI: CUTCLIFFE HAS JUST BEEN FIRED FROM OLE MISS.

[Hardie]

I think Ron Zook would be a good choice for the Kentucky job. How fittin would it be for him to go there , build up that program and still be in the same division as Florida and be competing and maybe beatin them year in and year out as a reminder of them gettin rid of him a lil to early.

[Neo]

I think Ron Zook would be a good choice for the Kentucky job. How fittin would it be for him to go there , build up that program and still be in the same division as Florida and be competing and maybe beatin them year in and year out as a reminder of them gettin rid of him a lil to early.

Hehehehehe How ironic would that be? lol

[Hardie]

Id love to see Zook at Kentucky and them get to be really good and start beatin the snot out of Florida lol

[Neo]

Id love to see Zook at Kentucky and them get to be really good and start beatin the snot out of Florida lol

It's a proven fact.....the man can flat out recruit and thats the key to success.