Latest Marrow-Louisville news makes things even harder for Kentucky

Vince Marrow. Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Latest Vince Marrow-Louisville news makes things even harder for Kentucky

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 10:30 PM ET

Vince Marrow was a staple for the Kentucky Wildcats. In fact, next to head coach Mark Stoops, perhaps no coach in the program meant more than Marrow.

That's why it was a shocker when it was announced on Monday by ESPN's Pete Thamel that Marrow — who had been on Stoops' staff since 2013 — had decided to leave Kentucky to become the general manager at a major rival: Louisville.

Sources: Kentucky associate head coach Vince Marrow is expected to become the general manager of the Louisville football program, as he's finalizing a three-year deal there. He'll oversee roster management, recruiting and the NCAA transfer portal. pic.twitter.com/HdIfXEHONF
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 9, 2025

That's a seismic shift in the dynamic between Kentucky and Louisville, no matter how Marrow's departure went down. However, it's now being reported by Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio that the Wildcats were absolutely blindsided by the news.

Nobody knew about it ahead of time in Lexington.

Source tells me that UK Athletics Leadership did not find out Vince Marrow in talks or leaving for Louisville until the @PeteThamel tweet yesterday
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) June 10, 2025

I also am told the major UK Football donors were not aware of Marrow’s departure either

Looks like Vince decided to do it without anyone in Lexington being informed

(Except the one guy on the text machine apparently)
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) June 10, 2025

There's a deep rivalry between the two schools, but if it turns out that Marrow really "ghosted" the Wildcats, he's going to find himself in the middle of a ton of crossfire.

Sure, he'll be welcomed by Louisville fans, but he's going to quickly become public enemy No. 1 with Wildcats fans.

Marrow had been at Kentucky since Stoops became head coach, joining the staff as a tight ends coach and becoming one of the more respected assistant coaches and recruiters in college football.

This was always going to be a massive loss for the Wildcats, but it's going to sting that much more with this latest news.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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