Kentucky Football: Mark Stoops Praises Nick Mullens

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Kentucky football head coach Mark Stoops is quite aware of how dynamic a quarterback his team will be facing during the opening week of the season.

Kentucky football is desperately attempting to escape the shadow of the vaunted basketball program. That won’t happen overnight, but a Week 1 victory could set that vision in motion.

In order to secure that W, the Wildcats must find a way to contain one of the best and most explosive quarterbacks in the country.

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles aren’t from a power conference. Some have misconstrued that with their not being a threat, which couldn’t be any further from the truth.

During a recent teleconference, Stoops offered high praise for senior Southern Miss quarterback Nick Mullens. Per Joe Mussatto of SEC Country:

“What I’ve been very impressed with is how accurate he is and how beautiful he throws the deep ball. He just drops it in there in some tight windows. He’s been very impressive, so we’ll have our hands full with him. It’s always a challenge when you’ve had an experienced guy back there that’s seen it all and seen all the different defenses and all that. So, we’re going to have to win some one-on-ones, and he’s a very talented quarterback and I definitely put him up there with some of the best we’ll play this year.”

For those unfamiliar, Stoops is speaking without hyperbole as it pertains to Mullens.

Mullens is a senior field general who has gained invaluable experience during his time at Southern Miss. He’s the reigning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and a legitimate NFL prospect.

If Kentucky takes him lightly, it will pay the consequences.

Mullens finished 2015 with monstrous statistics. He compiled 4,476 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

As a leader, Mullens took Southern Miss to a 9-5 record and a bowl game.

Mullens threw for over 300 yards against power conference opponents such as the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Washington Huskies. He also threw for 447 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Simply put: Mullens is the real deal.

Kentucky has a cornerback duo that will play a defining role in its pursuit of victory. Chris Westry is a 6’4″ sophomore with shutdown corner potential and Derrick Baity is a 6’3″ bump and run specialist.

If those two players live up to their potential on Saturday, Kentucky will have a chance.

Don’t expect Mullens to make it easy.