Rich Brooks and Confidence

One thing I like about Rich is that he's a straight shooter. Rich Brooks told us the truth from day one. I remember when he first arrived at UK and he told the media and UK fans "we don't have enough players to compete in the SEC right now." I was like "wow"...This guy tells it like it is...He didn't blow smoke up our "you know what".... Some people didn't like him. Some people thought he was too negative.

Instead he hired an excellent staff and started hitting the recruiting trail hard. Instead, he started building a program the right way, without cheating, like that crook Hal Mumme did...Instead, he brought an old time, hard work ethic to the table of a UK football program.

Each year, Rich told us that UK football was in a little better shape. Last year, he said "we're gonna be a factor in the SEC". Well, I seem to remember beating the number one team in the nation, LSU. No, we didn't finish that high in the SEC, but we were definitely a factor.

This year, Rich was quoted saying "some expect UK football to go back to the cellar of the conference. I'm here to tell you, that's not gonna happen. We're here to stay." Many people are worried about our quarterback situation. Rich told us "we can win games in the SEC with Pulley or Hartline".

Rich, you've earned my trust. I think UK football is here to stay. I think we're going to see a UK defense that we haven't seen since 1977 in UK football. Lets start supporting the Wildcats and show our appreciation for the growth of the UK football program.

We need to get more people into Commonwealth. We need to beat UL for the second straight year. We need to lock up the best recruits in the state of Kentucky. We're starting to do these things...The future is bright. I can see us competing for a SEC championship one day. I believe UK will go to one BCS bowl game before Rich Brooks retires in the next five years.

He will leave a solid foundation and a great UK football program to Joker Phillips. I just hope Joker can keep the streak going. Honestly, I'm not convinced just yet. I still think he has a lot to learn from a very experienced head coach like Brooks. It's not an easy job and it takes superb management skills. It's a lot more than just recruiting good players. SEC teams will always have great players. Only excellent coaching will win consistently in the difficult SEC.

Now Mitch Barnhart doesn't look so dumb....does he?

Go Big Blue!

Tyler
Wildcat-Sports.com