Kentucky has won another battle to keep a coordinator from heading elsewhere.

UPDATE

UK has confirmed that Matt House will remain at Kentucky, another major win for the program this offseason in keeping its staff intact.

On Friday, it seemed highly likely that Matt House would leave the Kentucky Wildcats to join the Chiefs in the NFL ranks. However, the winds are starting to blow back in Kentucky’s favor.

Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio is reporting that it is now likely that House will remain at Kentucky as the defensive coordinator.

Rumors were swirling that House would be leaving to join the Chiefs staff as the linebackers coach. The deal was never confirmed but I think it’s fair to say that most people believed that Kentucky was going to lose their defensive coordinator to the NFL.

When asked about keeping his current coaching staff in place Mark Stoops had this to say:

“I just fielded a call from a head coach in the NFL 15 minutes ago. It’s not quite over. I hope we keep everybody intact, but I’ve had much more NFL interest than I’ve had in the past.”

It goes without saying that keeping the nucleus of a staff that put together one of the best seasons in school history is critical to keeping Kentucky’s success rolling. The potential of House returning is huge news for Kentucky considering they built their identity has been built on the defensive side of the ball.

Being able to compete in the best conference in America requires a consistent approach to slowing down the other team’s offense. This is something that House has proven he can do. The Cats only allowed 16 points per game last season on defense which was among the best in the SEC.

Matt House returning to UK is still no sure thing. Going to the Kansas City Chiefs is still an option on the table and until there is an official announcement I would consider the situation volatile.