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  • Joker Phillips relieved of head coaching job at Kentucky

    By: LARRY VAUGHT



    It took a 40-0 loss to Vanderbilt and perhaps the smallest crowd ever to see a game in Commonwealth Stadium to convince Kentucky athletics director that he had to make a change.

    That’s why Sunday Barnhart announced on the UK athletics website that coach Joker Phillips would be fired at the conclusion of a season that has seen little go right and almost everything go wrong for Kentucky. Later Kentucky noted that Phillips’ coaching status for the remainder of the season was “to be determined.”

    Kentucky has lost eight straight games and is 1-9 with games left Nov. 17 against Samford and Nov. 24 at Tennessee. Phillips has just 12 wins and 23 losses in nearly three years.

    “After much conversation, evaluation and prayer, I have determined that it is in the best interest of our athletics program to make a change in our football coaching staff at the conclusion of the season. I do so with a heavy heart for a man who has served his alma mater for almost 22 years as a player and a coach,” Barnhart said in his statement. “Joker Phillips has carried the banner for the Blue and White with honor and pride.

    “I have enjoyed working alongside him and am thankful for his friendship for the last decade. His concern for the entire program, his work and teaching of young people, his humanitarian work, and the friendship we all enjoy with him will long surpass the scoreboard. I want to thank him for all of those things on behalf of Kentucky.”

    Everyone should. Phillips, who broke the news to his players Sunday afternoon, has been part of the program as a player, graduate assistant coach, position coach, offensive coordinator, coach in waiting and finally head coach. He’s always bled blue and always wanted nothing but the best for the program. However, something just has not clicked since he took over from Rich Brooks.

    Perhaps it started at the end of the 2010 season when UK missed a chance to beat Tennessee and then looked awful in a BBVA Compass Bowl loss to Pittsburgh in what turned out to be Randall Cobb’s last game at Kentucky.

    Phillips made staff changes, and most have not worked. UK’s special teams have been horrible since he booted Steve Ortmayer off the staff. The defensive line has not been the same without Rick Petri. The defense certainly has been no better with Rick Minter calling the shots instead of Steve Brown. And new running backs coach Steve Pardue has not made fans forget former assistant Larry Brinson.

    This team has been decimated at times by injuries at quarterback and in the secondary, but that’s life in the SEC. UK has also been forced to play 14 true freshmen because of lack of numbers in the junior and senior classes, but Phillips was involved with bringing those players to UK who should have been playing as juniors and seniors.

    Fans have given up. The apathy around UK football is at an all-time high considering Brooks took UK to four straight bowls before retiring and Phillips did make a bowl game his first season in 2010. Season ticket sales have plummeted — and that means a loss of big dollars.

    “In the end there are realities we must face and overcome. Right or wrong, we must respond to those realities to protect the 22 programs and 500-plus student-athletes for whom we provide. Obviously our football program is not where we want it to be and we are all disappointed; coaches, players, administration and our fans,” Barnhart’s statement said.

    Phillips said after Saturday’s loss that he understood he was putting Barnhart in a difficult position as the athletics director looked for reasons to keep a coach he openly admits is a close friend. But this move had to be made and had to be made now.

    First, it lets the players — and recruits — know what is happening. Fans can now maybe come back to Commonwealth Stadium Nov. 17 for the final home game against Samford and give the seniors a final farewell and also say thanks to Phillips for all the years he put in at Kentucky even if things have not gone well the last two years.

    “I feel like he is a great guy. He is going to stay strong for us and we will stay strong for him,” linebacker Avery Williamson said after Saturday’s game. “I don’t like talking about it too much. Me and friends talk about his future, but I just say I don’t know what is going to happen. I just brush it off and worry about playing. Coach doesn’t want us worrying about him. He just wants us to play for Kentucky, not him.”

    That’s Phillips. Loyal to Kentucky until the end but he knows the SEC is a “man’s league” and that in this league results are demanded — and he does get a J$2.55 million buyout over two years. But coaches at Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas are also feeling the heat and may all be looking for jobs in a few weeks, too.

    “The search for a new head coach will begin immediately and will be managed internally. I understand the challenge and significance of finding a new leader for our football program. It will be done with great concern for our student-athletes, students of the University of Kentucky, the Big Blue Nation and the citizens of the Commonwealth. Kentucky football needs to be and will be a championship contender in the SEC,” Barnhart’s statement said.

    Championship contender? Maybe, but it won’t happen overnight. Former Louisville coach Howard Schnellenberger suggested last week it could happen at UK, but only with a change in the overall football thought process at UK and financial commitment to the football program. Former players such as Anthony White, David Hopewell and Freddie Maggard have told me the same things about the commitment to football needing to increase.

    And who is the right coach for UK? That’s going to be an interesting question as Barnhart moves forward. He hit a home run with John Calipari in basketball after misfiring on Billy Gillispie. He got a winner in Brooks after a long search that started with him seeking advice from Brooks before he hired him. Maybe now Barnhart can get the right input from others to find the perfect coach to rebuild the program.

    Many want an older, established, big-name coach. Even coaches with baggage like Bobby Petrino and Jim Tressel appeal to some. Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer knows Barnhart. Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville has coached in the SEC. Maybe a rising coaching star like Sonny Dykes of Louisiana Tech, a former UK assistant under Hal Mumme, could be right with his wide-open offense.

    There are multiple ways to go, including established NFL and college coordinators, and nothing that is guaranteed to work. Just ask Phillips. Or Bill Curry. Or Jerry Claiborne. Or even Brooks, who was winning but was also frustrated with some commitment to UK football when he retired.

    But change had to be made. Losses and empty seats dictated that.
    Comments 1 Comment
    1. catmanjack's Avatar
      catmanjack -
      Wish him the best just time to move on.
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    Harlow

    Re: Oakland v UK hall of fame

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    Harlow 03-22-2024, 08:36 AM Go to last post