Kentucky football head coach Mark Stoops will welcome a sibling to his coaching staff for the 2022 season.  

The school announced on Tuesday that Mike Stoops will join the Wildcats’ staff as the inside linebackers coach, replacing Jon Sumrall, who left Kentucky to take the head coaching job at Troy University.  

“I’m excited about the opportunity to coach with Mike again,” Mark Stoops said.  “Mike was instrumental in my early development as a coach, as I learned a lot from him at Arizona. He has a wealth of experience as a head coach, coordinator and position coach.  I look forward to having him contribute to the staff at Kentucky.” 

The Stoops brothers worked together at Arizona from 2004-09, when Mike was the head coach and Mark was the defensive coordinator. Over a decade later, the brothers will join forces once again.  

Mike Stoops joins the Cats after spending the 2021 season as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Florida Atlantic. Stoops has a long line of coaching experience, ranging from head coach at Arizona, to defensive coordinator at Oklahoma, to an analyst on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama.  

Like his brother Mark, Mike Stoops also played safety at the University of Iowa. 

“I want to thank everyone at the University of Kentucky for this exciting opportunity to coach inside linebackers,” Mike Stoops said. “Mark, his staff, and these players have accomplished a great deal, while competing in the Southeastern Conference, to put the Kentucky football program on the map. I’m looking forward to working with Coach (Brad) White on defense and contributing to the development and success of our players and team. Go Cats!”