excellent news-great hire

We really need a MLB like Dallas has.

So far a well respected staff. Brilliant so far.

Is Al Harris still around? And if so does he stay? Seems to be the only one left from Sutton's staff.

That's the thing this defense always lacked under Sutton. I hope beyond hope that bringing in new coaching fixes it all but I fear that some players are going to have to go too.

As the Pioli guys started to age, get injured, or leave, the new guys being brought in weren't disciplined and didn't listen. That's goal #1 for this defense - discipline and cohesion. Working as a unit.

He did a reasonably good job last year, all things considered. There's no reason to not allow him to continue to work under a new guy and continue to learn. He'll get better.

Oh dude, bust out the rake and a box of Hefty lawn bags; this staff is about to sweep asses out the door.

I think everyone of respectable merit will get a fair evaluation, but I fully expect to see a metric shit ton of turnover on ALL levels of salary not just post-camp, but leading as far as into November. It will be slower at that point of course, but it's going to take some time to see who can play what in this new defense.

How many new starters will we see on Defense assuming Ford stays

I was ok with the spagnuolo hire. Realistically I felt we needed to just jump a few spots on defense and he could do that better than sutton. My biggest complaint was that spags has a good scheme, but I wanted him to push innovation on defense the way he did offense.

Holy shit these new hires change the game. Spagnuolo can now learn from an innovative nfl defense and a rising star in the SEC. And in house he has an experienced playcaller to help with adjustments, something some giants fans have said we needed. I think we can throw tendencies out the window. Spags has had a year off to study nfl defenses, a head coach who will push him to innovate, and one hell of an experienced staff.

Jones, Hitchens, Fuller are really the only FOR SURE starters I can think of next year.. the rest are maybe/probably's like Houston,Ford, Berry, O'Daniel, Speaks, Watts

How about now? Still doomed?

It's about to get dolphin rape up in here.

Yep.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three days after Kentucky announced defensive coordinator Matt House had decided to stay in Lexington amid interest from the Kansas City Chiefs, the Wildcat assistant has reversed course and decided to leave for the NFL job.

House was reported to be a candidate to be the Chiefs' new linebackers coach. After the initial announcement he was staying at UK, multiple NFL reporters tweeted House had wanted to take the job but was prevented from doing so because of his buyout at Kentucky.

UK players were informed of House's decision to leave the program Tuesday morning, a source told the Courier Journal.

More UK football: Kentucky finding offensive linemen early in 2020 recruiting cycle

With House gone, there are several likely candidates within Mark Stoops' staff to take over the defensive coordinator responsibilities. Stoops promoted from within the last time the job was open, elevating House from special teams coordinator to defensive coordinator after D.J. Eliot left the program.

UK defensive coordinator Matt HouseBuy Photo
UK defensive coordinator Matt House (Photo: Michael Reaves/Special to The Courier Journal, Courier Journal)
Special teams coordinator Dean Hood was a former Power Five conference defensive coordinator at Wake Forest and FCS head coach at Eastern Kentucky. Defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale served as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati before coming to UK, and outside linebackers coach Brad White is considered a rising star in the business thanks to his NFL experience and work developing Josh Allen into the National Defensive Player of the Year and an early first-round NFL draft prospect in his first season at Kentucky.

Stoops will also have to find a replacement for House's recruiting ability as the defensive coordinator just finished a productive year recruiting Georgia, where Kentucky signed four players in its 2019 class.


House, who previously worked for Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo with the then-St. Louis Rams, led a UK defense that ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense and 23rd in total defense a year ago. Kentucky must replace seven starters from that defense in 2019, including Allen and the entire secondary.

According to the terms of House's contract, he would owe UK $150,000 to buyout the remaining year of the deal, which paid him $650,000 per year through the 2019 season.

Awesome!!!