Mark Stoops, Kentucky Head Coach

Huge game this upcoming weekend in college football. Kentucky's ranked 20th in the country and they'll go up against number one Georgia. Let's go out to the guest line right now and welcome in a man that I think is a top 10 coach in the country. He's the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats and that is Mark Stoops here with us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Coach, congrats on a big victory up against Florida.

Appreciate you taking a few minutes of your day today. How you been? We'll get to Georgia in just a second, but I'd be remiss if I didn't start with your running back in Ray Davis transferring into the program. I remember when he was at my alma mater to start his career in Temple, but he had 280 Russian yards, three Russian touchdowns, and then a receiving touchdown too. Just how about the impact and what he's brought to your program? Yeah, Ray has really been special.

He's a great young man, obviously very mature, brings a physicality to our team. It was nice to see him put it all together at the right time. He has shown his abilities throughout the beginning of this year, but last week what a complete game. And really got off to a fast start. It really started with the screen pass. It was maybe a 10 yard run or whatever, but heck he got it in the end zone and it was an impressive catch and run after catch. Of course he got the run game going as well, but he's a great young man and he's off to a great start for us.

We're in a new world with the transfer portal. Some coaches have adapt, some coaches haven't done a great job at it. Your backfield is Devin Leary, who's a transfer we just talked about.

You're running back too. You've built something really special here at Kentucky, but when you go through the transfer portal, how do you know that a kid is going to be the right fit for you guys? Yeah, we make sure we get the right ones that fit our culture. We feel like we do have a very strong culture, so I think we vet players before they come in, but also they transform and adapt to our culture very fast.

I don't really have to very often. When you talk about Devin Leary, you talk about Ray Davis, you talk about Eli Cox, our left tackle who came in. Those are mature young men. They fit us. They fit our culture. They've been great additions. We really needed them. Let's face it, we live in a world of free agency.

I didn't create it, but we have to live by it and do the very best we can, so there's been some great additions. Coach Mark Stoops here with us. Coach, you know when you have the consistency and the program like you built at Kentucky, everyone's going to say, when is coach going to leave? When is coach going to leave?

You haven't done that. Why have you remained loyal to Kentucky and what you built there? Kentucky, just like you said, I've helped build this with a lot of help from a lot of different people, but we have invested an awful lot into our program. It's been 11 years, so I'm very loyal to this place.

I feel like it's a very good relationship between the fan base and myself, the players, the community. This is my home now. It's just a great place.

It's a hard place to leave. This is right for me. This is right for Mark Stoops at the time.

I'm very happy here. I really appreciate all the players, the coaches, the past, present, the people that have worked hard to put us in this position. Coach Mark Stoops here with us.

Alright, let's get to Georgia. When we start with them, we talk about Brock Bowers. Last weekend, he looked like Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelsey all combined into one. When you see him on the tape, just what stands out to you about the great tight end at Georgia?

Yeah, I've said it several times during my press conferences this week. I'm not sure I've ever seen somebody just like him. You mentioned Gronk. I had mentioned it earlier just because I watched him up close. I was at Arizona when he played in college.

I think they're very different. I wouldn't want to compare anybody to Gronk, and I really wouldn't want to compare anybody to Brock Bowers. He's a very unique player, but just amazing at their position. That's for sure, both amazing players. He is truly something special. He makes plays when he's covered. He had back-to-back one-handed catches a week ago.

Just a guy who's a really unique player and a special player. When you turn on the tape and you get ready for the Georgia quarterback in Carson Beck, what has impressed you so far, Coach Mark Stoops? Yeah, Carson has really done a great job. He knows he's got a lot of good playmakers around him. When you think of Georgia, you think of a physical team that always has great backs. They've just done a nice job of spreading it around.

He's managing the game really well for him. I don't know how much of the conversation that you heard leading into this one when you go up against number one Georgia. We know how dominant of a program Georgia is, winning the national championship the last two years. But since they didn't blow out South Carolina, since they didn't blow out Auburn, people go, oh, Georgia is vulnerable. When you hear that as someone has to prepare up against them this week, what goes through your mind?

Well, they're just waiting to put it all together. I said about my own team, you're not going to play 12 great games. You're just not. You have to be able to win in difficult environments. You have to be able to win on the road. I know how much Kirby respects and knows how difficult it is to win road games in the SEC. I think they also understand how difficult it is for opponents to play at home.

I think they're different. They're definitely more attacking at home. I'm sure they're just waiting to put it all together. You have to be good enough when you're not at your best. They're pretty darn good. Last thing I'll ask you, Coach Mark Stoops, when you go from the emotional high of a victory against Florida and now you have to go right to Georgia, how do you kind of reel your kids in back quickly? Because you know you need a full week's worth of preparation to have a shot up against Georgia with the program they have. Without a doubt.

That's a great point and something that has me concerned. I had to get after the team yesterday because I didn't feel like it was up to our standards for a typical, very physical, tough Tuesday practice. I'm about five minutes away from walking out on the practice field right now. We have to have a better day. We have to have a strong belief system that we can go in there and win.

The only way you should feel confident is by your preparation. We need to pick it up. I challenged the team, actually threw in an extra team meeting today. I pointed a few things out to them and got some extra motivation in there just because it takes a lot to go in there and prepare the right way. Everybody wants to win on Saturday. It's a matter of what we're going to do throughout the week to put ourselves in a position to be successful come Saturday.

Coach, I'll let you get to the practice field. We appreciate the time. Thanks so much. You're welcome. Thank you. Barry Gizz, the coach of the 20th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, and Mark Stoops joining us on CBS Sports Radio.