Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops almost said too much on Wednesday when asked about a Wildcats player that recently withdrew from the NCAA transfer portal after having some discussions with the Tennessee Vols.
UK tight end Jordan Dingle was scheduled to visit Tennessee last weekend, but he announced his return to Kentucky after the Vols received a commitment from Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes.
"After a lot of prayer and talks with my family and the UK coaching staff, I know the best place for me to continue developing my game is right here at Kentucky," wrote Dingle in a message on social media. "To my brothers, let’s work! I'm excited about the future of UK Football! Let's go!"
Stoops made it clear on Wednesday that he didn't think Dingle ever wanted to leave Kentucky, but the money involved was a factor. Stoops stopped himself before elaborating on the money aspect.
"Jordan's a guy that we definitely want in the program," said Stoops. "I mean, here's a young man that does everything right. He's darn near perfect in his grades. He's been a great teammate, loves it here. He, I don't think, wanted to leave. I'm just going to stop there before I get myself in trouble. Because I don't want to whine or cry, this is an exciting day. But there's a lot of money involved."
I don't think Stoops is throwing shade at Tennessee's interest in Kentucky -- that would hypocritical considering every college coach is playing a similar version of the NIL game these days. Instead, it appears that Stoops was simply hinting at the volatile nature of roster management in college football in this era.
This is pure speculation, but it seems logical that Dingle probably found out he could make some more cash in NIL money and he had to hit the portal to get that extra cash from Kentucky. It's the same game that's being played around the country by thousands of college athletes.
Side note: It's wild to hear college coaches openly talking about paying players a "lot of money" just a few months after the NCAA went scorched earth on former Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt for less than $100,000 in impermissible benefits.
More must-reads: