Vince Marrow made a bit of a controversial decision earlier this week, jumping ship at Kentucky to join the Wildcats’ rival, Louisville. He wants fans to know the career move wasn’t personal.
Vince Marrow Pens Emotional Message to Kentucky Wildcats Faithful
Marrow, who’d spent over a decade with Kentucky, addressed the fan base one last time before assuming his duties for the Cardinals.
BBN i understand how you guys feel about me going to @university @LouisvilleFB . I never said anything bad about lexington it’s one of the best cities i ever lived in hands down. I will miss the good people there.
— CoachMarrow (@vincemarrow) June 13, 2025
Marrow had been at Kentucky since 2013, working as a tight ends coach that season, then being tapped as the program’s recruiting coordinator in 2014. He was named the associate head coach before the 2019 season.
The Wildcats won at least seven games in eight seasons during Marrow’s stay in Lexington. Kentucky rose as high as No. 14 in the 247Sports recruiting rankings in 2022, the highest in the history of the program. The same recruiting service named him one of the 10 best recruiters last year.
Marrow, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, planted his roots in his home state. He signed 69 players from Ohio over the past dozen seasons.
Marrow worked so closely with Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops in part because they’re both from Youngstown. The timing of his departure leads many to wonder if something went awry with that relationship.
“So this is the misconception because you probably hear stuff,” Marrow said during an interview with Terry Meiners on 840 WHAS on Friday. “People were saying, like, did me and Mark fall out? No, we would never fall out. We from Youngstown. We’ve been knowing each other for a long time.
“Do relationships get strained? That happens in marriages when people don’t talk, then years go by, and then it’s like, ‘Hey, you want to separate and go the other way?'”
Marrow explained to Stoops that he was leaving to go work with another friend, Jeff Brohm. However, Marrow didn’t break the news to Stoops until after ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported it.
In a release, Marrow said, “The opportunity to take on this exciting role, in the state where I have so many incredible relationships, was something I couldn’t pass up. … I have made lifelong friendships during my time at UK, and I have every desire to keep those relationships. That is one of the reasons I wanted to stay in this state.”
