HOOVER, Ala. — Rich Brooks beat everyone to the punch.

On a Fahrenheit scale, Kentucky’s football coach has perpetually existed with the hottest seat of any coach on the SEC endangered list.

Yet, there he was again.

He returned for his fourth SEC Media Days on Wednesday and immediately tried to fan out those possible "final year" flames. He opened his comments by saying he was glad to be back.

"There was some question last year whether I would be," he joked.

It may have been the understatement of the day.

Brooks has a 9-25 record in three previous seasons in Lexington. Still, he continues to survive.

He lived through a 2-9 season in 2004. He made it through a 3-8 season in 2005.

"And I’m hoping I’ll be back here next year," he said. "To do that, we have to win more games, obviously.

"But the good news is, we’re in a better position than at any time since I’ve been here to do that."

Convincing his players has been an obvious chore for Brooks.

"Basically, what I told them is, ‘don’t worry about me, just worry about yourself,’" he said. "I’m going to be fine, whether I’m here or not here, so let’s move forward, go out there and see if we can get this thing going in the direction we all know it can go."

Kentucky players are obviously getting accustomed to the questions about the future of Brooks and the Wildcats’ program.

"We really love and respect our coach and we want him to stay," receiver Keenan Burton said. "A lot of people wouldn’t have taken his job, but he did,"

"He was willing to put himself in a predicament and put his reputation on the line by coming to Kentucky."

The Wildcats have had two winning seasons (7-5 in 1998 and 2002) since 1990, but linebacker Wesley Woodyard thinks there’s a different feel around this year’s team.

"It’s not easy for a coach when your team isn’t winning, but the guys this year have the right attitude," he said. "We have to play like brothers on the field and have our fathers on the sideline."

One of their new "fathers" is former Tennessee offensive coordinator Randy Sanders, now quarterbacks coach for the Wildcats.

"I’m very excited to have Randy Sanders join our staff," Brooks said. "He brings experience as a play-caller, as a coordinator, and obviously has coached some pretty good quarterbacks at Tennessee."

Whether that helps produce a fifth season for Brooks in 2007 remains to be seen.

"I know we’re better," he said. "Now we have to go prove it to everybody else."