An outside-the-box option for Kentucky’s next offensive coordinator

If Mark Stoops stays, and that is the assumption for now, Bush Hamdan cannot, as we talked about earlier. The offense is broken, the fans are bored, and ticket sales are plummeting. They couldn’t sell out a single game this year, even though Ole Miss, Texas, Florida, and Tennessee were on the schedule

Kentucky doesn’t just need a new play-caller; they need a jolt of electricity. They need a name that makes people sit up and pay attention.

So, let’s get crazy. Let’s talk about Chip Kelly.

Why it makes sense

Yes, that Chip Kelly. The offensive genius who revolutionized college football at Oregon and recently helped Ohio State win a national title as their OC.

He is currently on the market after a short NFL stint with the Raiders. And he is exactly the polar opposite of Mark Stoops.

• Stoops: Slow, methodical, defensive-minded.

• Kelly: Fast, explosive, offensive genius.

Though to be fair, Neal Brown ran a high-tempo offense during his two-year stint as Kentucky’s OC, so it’s not like Stoops has never had an up-tempo play-caller on offense. But Kelly is on another level with it.

At Ohio State, Kelly’s offense averaged 35.7 points per game. His tempo and spacing create nightmares for defenses.

The price of survival for Mark Stoops

Stoops is operating on borrowed time with the fanbase. Attendance is dropping (down 12% last year alone). Winning 10-3 isn’t selling tickets anymore. And the losses keep piling up. He has one Power Five win at home since 2023.

Hiring Chip Kelly would be a massive departure from Stoops’ comfort zone. It would mean giving up control of the game flow. It would mean embracing a style he has fundamentally opposed for a decade.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. Kentucky needs ambition. They need points. And they need a reason for fans to care again. Chip Kelly brings all three.

Drew Holbrook has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion