Chad Morris is dealing with arguably the toughest task in college football — rebuilding a program in the SEC.

That’s a challenge Mark Stoops knows better than most as Kentucky’s coach took over in Lexington following Joker Phillips’ final two seasons as Wildcat coach. In his final two seasons, Phillips led Kentucky to a 7-17 overall record with a 2-14 record in SEC play.

In his first season in Lexington back in 2013, Stoops led Kentucky to a 2-10 record with an 0-8 mark in SEC play. His second season got off to a better start as the Wildcats jumped out to a 5-1 record but lost the final six games of the season to finish at 5-7 and miss the postseason.

During those early years, Stoops had his fair share of doubters in Lexington but Kentucky stuck with him and we all know what a wise decision that turned out to be for all involved. Now Stoops is hoping that Arkansas does the same for Morris in Fayetteville.

On the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday, Stoops was asked to share what he said to Morris as the two had a private moment on the field leading up to the Oct. 12 game between Kentucky and Arkansas. While Stoops did not want to reveal the specifics of that conversation, he noted that he did offer Morris some encouragement leading up the game.

“I think we will keep that between us but we definitely talked before the game and briefly thereafter. I can relate, I’ve been there,” Stoops said. “I’ve been where he’s at – it gets difficult. When you step into certain jobs, people say they understand that it’s going to take some time but when you are in the midst of that in this league, and really everywhere, it’s difficult — and that’s compounded (in the SEC).

“It’s a difficult situation to overcome. I’ve been there. I did want to encourage him because he’s a great guy, great coach and I’m sure he will be successful if he’s given the opportunity but I understand that’s difficult in this day and age. He’s in a tough spot. People don’t really understand how difficult it is in this league. People talk about it, but fan bases and all of us, we are just interested in ourselves. I’m worried about Kentucky. It’s difficult to get over the hill and get going in this league. That’s part of what we were talking about.”

Stoops was then asked what it takes to accomplish the incredibly difficult task of climbing out of the SEC cellar. According to the Kentucky coach, it would take a lengthy discussion to address all the steps necessary to successfully navigate the difficult journey but the key in Stoops’ mind is support from the school’s leadership and support from the fan base.

The Kentucky coach then made an interesting comment, if a quick fix happens in the SEC, something wrong is likely going on behind the scenes.

“That’s difficult to answer in a brief period of time. A lot, basically. A lot needs to happen,” Stoops continued. “It starts with great support from your people, from your president and AD and knowing you have that support. As I’ve said, coming into Kentucky, if I was going to have a quick fix, something’s wrong. You better look into it a little deeper.

“I don’t know, he may be in the same situation there — what’s going on there or behind the scenes but you have to have support from the administration and from the fans. I know that’s difficult, I understand.

“People pay a lot of money and it’s a big investment to go to a football game. You got to wait in line, you gotta park, you gotta pay money, there are a lot of things involved and they want to see it on the field but without the support, we don’t have a chance to recruit and we don’t have a chance to build it. It’s tough when you are at the bottom of the SEC, it’s a tough climb. There’s no doubt about it. When I started here at Kentucky, we used to look at 14 teams on paper, I’m quite sure we were 15th. You try to dig your way out of that, keep fighting every day, it truly is a fight, a grind.”

If Arkansas is truly committed to Morris as the leader of the program, Stoops laid out the blueprint for success for the Razorbacks. It won’t be easy and it won’t happen quickly but if Morris the right man for the job, you have to support him.

Take it from someone who knows.