Mark Stoops could have lost his top assistant coach on multiple occasions this offseason as Youngstown State came calling for Vince Marrow to run its program after Bo Pelini left the YSU program for LSU and Michigan State came calling for Marrow to be an assistant under Mel Tucker.

While the bond that’s developed between Stoops and Marrow in Lexington over the years may be strong, Kentucky’s coach says he managed to keep his ace recruiter thanks to the school’s outstanding administration.

Kentucky made Marrow one of the highest-paid assistants in the nation this offseason, agreeing to pay the assistant $900,000 annually through June 30, 2023. Outside of college coordinators — Sam Pittman (Georgia offensive line) and Larry Johnson (Ohio State defensive line) were the only non-coordinator assistant coaches to be paid that much in 2019 — Marrow will now be paid as much or better than any position coach nationally at Kentucky and will make more than what over 30 FBS head coaches made last season.

“I have so much appreciation and gratitude to our administration, first and foremost, for giving me the ability (to keep Coach Marrow),” Stoops said on Monday. “I’ve said that all along, it takes great resources. When you have good things in place, whether it’s facilities and the investment we’ve made there, whether it’s in people and retaining people. I’ve got to start with thanking our president and Mitch (Barnhart), Mark Hill, has done a great amount of work behind the scenes as my liaison to the administration. They do a lot of work behind the scenes.”

In addition to Kentucky’s strong leadership, Stoops noted that Big Blue Nation’s connection to the Marrow played a role in keeping the assistant coach in Lexington. Kentucky’s coach then revealed that many of his coaches had to face similar decisions this offseason.

“Vince’s attachment to this place, our fan base, to our community, played a lot into it,” Stoops added. “I think our relationship had a lot to do with it. But again, it starts with our administration stepping up and helping because that was very real and those things are going to happen when you have good people. I’ll say this, there was probably five or six other guys on our staff that I went through the same thing with, that are getting pulled (to other jobs). I appreciate the continuity that we have right now.”

According to Stoops, the clincher came when the two men sat down to share a drink and a threat may or may not have been made.

“Me and the Big Dog, it came down to a drink and I had to break his arm,” Stoops joked.