College football coaches often lead nomadic lives, particularly if they’re young and looking to move up. L'Damian Washington, the USF receivers coach and passing game coordinator, certainly fits the profile.
The story broke Saturday on FootballScoop.com that Kentucky wanted to hire him, and some outlets reported it as a done deal. As of this writing, however, there hasn’t been an announcement by either USF or Kentucky, and his profile remains with the other coaches on the USF website.
It’s understandable why Washington would find the Kentucky job desirable. He played in the SEC at Missouri and later was the Tigers’ Director of Player Development. He also coached at Southern University and Oklahoma before joining Alex Golesh’s first staff at USF.
Stepping up to the SEC could be a major career boost.
However, there’s also a risk.
The heat is on Kentucky coach Mark Stoops. He has coached the Wildcats since 2013 and was the SEC Coach of the Year in 2018, but the overall record is a pedestrian 77-73. He has topped eight wins in a season only twice. He is 18-20 in the last three years, and bottomed out at 4-8 this season.
Just because Kentucky is renowned for basketball doesn’t mean that Stoops gets a pass indefinitely. He made $9,013,600 this year (with his bonus), which made him the ninth highest-paid coach in the country.
Fans are loudly demanding to see a better return on their investment than 4-8.
It should be noted, though, that Stoops is signed through 2031 and it could cost a ton of money if Stoops is fired before then.
Mark Knight of Wildcat Blue Nation reported the buyout would be $44 million if Stoops were fired after this season. It gets a little lower as the years go on, but let’s just say you could buy a lot of hay in the horse barn for what it could take to part ways with Mr. Mediocrity.
Buyouts are likely the reason FSU’s Mike Norvill and LSU’s Brian Kelly still have jobs.
That doesn’t mean it will be pleasant environment if the Wildcats blow out another tire next season.
These things always follow a pattern.
First, fans start grumbling. Kalen DeBoer at Alabama can tell you about that.
Second, the heat gets turned up on the head coach. It’s not quite approaching London Broil yet for Stoops, but that may only be a few clicks away.
Third, the athletic director and coach have a chat, usually involving staff changes.
If things don’t improve, the AD goes to the big-monied boosters (because his butt on the line, too) and passes the hat.
Washington is a fine coach who helped turn USF’s Sean Atkins into a record-breaking receiver. If he goes to Kentucky, he’ll be an asset to a staff that appears to need all the help it can get.
For now, let’s just leave it at that.