Will Stein Says Kentucky Wins “Because of Me.” The SEC Voted Him 14th

Will Stein took the podium at SEC media days in Tampa on July 20 and got asked why he could win big at Kentucky. “I think because of me, to be honest,” Stein said. Four days later, the same media picked Kentucky to finish 14th in the 16-team SEC.

He kept going. “Because of me. I think I know what it takes. I’ve seen it at the highest levels. I know what it takes to recruit at this level,” Stein said. “You’ve just got to believe, man. You’ve just got to put the ball down and play.”

Stein said he has no interest in a slow build. “You can’t sit back and wait,” he told reporters in Tampa. “That’s the one thing I refuse to do at Kentucky is wait.”

Voters tabulated the ballots Friday after four days in Tampa. Georgia drew 88 championship votes, Texas 57, Ole Miss six, Texas A&M five, Alabama three. Kentucky got one, one more than nobody. The Wildcats sat 15th in the same poll a year ago and finished 5-7, so Stein has climbed a single spot without coaching a game. They face nine teams the room ranked ahead of them, including everyone slotted fourth through eleventh.

What Will Stein Inherited in Lexington

Kentucky went 4-8 and then 5-7 in Mark Stoops’ last two seasons. Stein arrived on Dec. 3 as the first Kentucky head coach not named Stoops since 2012. His father played for the Wildcats and his mother graduated from the school.

He spent the last three seasons calling plays at Oregon, where the Ducks reached back-to-back College Football Playoffs, and Stein’s offense produced multiple Heisman finalists. Kentucky hired him to fix a unit that had gone stale across the board under the previous staff. He rebuilt it through the portal rather than waiting on development. Kentucky signed a top-10 transfer class, brought in Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey to run an uptempo scheme, and added Power Four experience at running back and across the defense. High school commitments have kept coming in through the summer.

The numbers have not caught up. ESPN’s SP+ rates Kentucky 53rd nationally, last in the SEC, and projects the Wildcats as a double-digit underdog in nearly every conference game.

The Schedule Will Provide Answers Quickly

Kentucky opens Sept. 5 against Youngstown State at Kroger Field, then hosts Alabama on Sept. 12 and travels to Texas A&M on Sept. 19. October brings road trips to South Carolina and Oklahoma with LSU and Vanderbilt at home. November sends the Wildcats to Tennessee and Missouri, with Florida in Lexington on Nov. 14 and Louisville closing the year. The nine-game conference schedule leaves Kentucky a single bye on Oct. 31.

SP+ makes Kentucky a 12-point underdog against Alabama. The model gives the Wildcats only two one-score games against Power Four opponents all season, Vanderbilt at home on Oct. 24 and Louisville to close the year.

His players have bought the pitch. “Every day when we have a team meeting, he’s just like, ‘Let’s go!’” Safety Ty Bryant said. “He’s getting everybody hype, everybody ready. You see it in practice. Just the competitive nature that he has.”

Curt Cignetti told reporters to Google him when Indiana hired him in late 2023. The Hoosiers went 16-0 last season and won the national championship in January. That run raised the price of bravado for everyone who followed, and the comparison followed Will Stein out of the ballroom. Kentucky opens in 39 days with the room already on record against him. Stein has an answer ready for the schedule. “If you’re scared, go to church,” he said.