Texas A&M expected to hire Mark Stoops as next head coach

The longtime Wildcats coach is the winningest coach in the Kentucky’s history, with a winning record in seven of the past eight seasons.

Texas A&M is hiring Mark Stoops as its next head coach, according to reports from 247Sports on Saturday night. A Sports Illustrated report shortly after said a deal had not yet been agreed upon but Stoops has emerged as the Aggies’ leading candidate.

Stoops spent the past 11 seasons as the Kentucky head coach. His 73 wins, seven bowl appearances, and four bowl victories are all the most in program history, and his 52.9% winning percentage is the best of any Kentucky coach in the past 60 years. He’s put together two 10-win seasons with the program, first in 2018 and then again in 2021, he was the SEC Coach of the Year in 2018, and he’s finished above .500 in seven of the past eight seasons.

Kentucky is Stoops’ first head coaching position. He previously served as a defensive coordinator for Florida State and Arizona and as a defensive backs coach for Miami.

Texas A&M moved on from head coach Jimbo Fisher on November 12th. The former national champion strung together a 46-25 record in College Station. The Aggies have a single 10-win season since 1998.

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