Kentucky finishes 9-3. Here’s what happens next.

Have Kentucky’s coaches been able to stop, take a deep breath and reflect on their historic season yet?

The question on his coaches’ radio show Monday night made Mark Stoops chuckle a bit.

“We’ve had one day off since mid-July,” the head coach said. “We’ll get a day off on Dec. 21.”

So the 9-3 regular season ends for Kentucky’s players for a few days with the 56-10 victory at Louisville on Saturday night, with the Cats learning their bowl destination — it’s looking like a trip to the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1 is likely — a week from Sunday.

But there will be no rest for the Cats coaches, who are in a race to lock up their newest recruiting class for the early signing period Dec. 19-21.

In fact, Stoops already has two in-home visits set up for Sunday.

“It’s a grind,” he told the voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach, on Monday. “You talk about people decompressing or reflecting, I just set up two home visits on Sunday.

“When we’re done with the Governor’s Cup Saturday, I’ll get home around 1 in the morning and I’ll turn right around and hit the road on Sunday and I’ve got two visits set up on Sunday afternoon and Sunday night.”

Kentucky will be full go with both bowl prep and recruiting until signing day, Stoops added.

The UK players, who admitted they were banged up after a long season, probably will get a few days to rest up and get treatment before some basic bowl preparation starts.

The Cats will learn their bowl destination and opponent next Sunday when postseason matchups are announced, beginning with the College Football Playoff semifinals and the New Year’s Six bowls, on Dec. 2.

No TV information has been posted for that, but it’s likely to be between noon and 4 p.m. on ESPN, according to the College Football Playoff website.

This story was originally published November 24, 2018 at 10:18 PM.