Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2022 Dodd Trophy, presented by PNC, it was announced today by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc.
This year’s list includes 20 of the nation’s top college football coaches representing all Power Five conferences, as well as the AAC and an independent.
When the Wildcats begin the 2022 season, it will be Stoops’ 10th year at UK, longer than any coach in school history. In addition, Stoops has 59 wins in the Blue and White, needing only two more triumphs to surpass the school record of 60 set by Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Stoops led the Wildcats to a 10-3 record in 2021, only the fourth time in school history (twice in the last four years under Stoops) that the Wildcats have reached double-digit victories.
UK began the season with a 6-0 start for the first time since 1950, when the legendary Bryant patrolled the sidelines in Lexington. The 2021 campaign featured a 5-3 tally in the Southeastern Conference.
UK finished in sole possession of second place in the SEC Eastern Division, the first time the Wildcats were solely in second since the league split into divisions in 1992.