Will Stein knows quarterbacks - and now he’s betting big on Kenny Minchey.
The former Notre Dame signal-caller is headed to Lexington after a whirlwind ride through the transfer portal. Minchey initially committed to Nebraska, but within 24 hours, he flipped to Kentucky. That pivot came after Stein and his staff shifted their focus away from Sam Leavitt - and zeroed in on Minchey.
It’s a move that says a lot about what Stein sees in the young quarterback. At Notre Dame, Minchey was locked in a battle with CJ Carr for the starting job.
Carr ultimately won the role and produced, throwing for over 2,700 yards and 24 touchdowns. Minchey, meanwhile, saw limited snaps, but clearly made enough of an impression on tape - and in conversations with coaches and scouts - to catch Stein’s eye.
“Extremely accurate. He’s got great athleticism,” Stein said during his Monday press conference. “When you talk to him, when you guys meet him, he is a phenomenal person, very smart.”
Stein didn’t stop there. He made it clear that Minchey’s reputation inside the Notre Dame program - and among NFL evaluators - played a major role in Kentucky’s pursuit.
“We did our background on him,” Stein said. “Everybody we talked to, even guys on that [Notre Dame] staff felt like they still would have won 10 games with Kenny out there playing quarterback. I talked to NFL scouts on him - feel like he’s got a really high upside in this game, and he’s somebody that I was really excited to get.”
That’s strong praise, especially from a coach with Stein’s track record. His recent work with quarterbacks at Oregon turned heads across the country, and now he’s tasked with shaping Kentucky’s QB room heading into 2026.
Of course, this wasn’t the only quarterback storyline Stein had to navigate this offseason. Cutter Boley, once seen as a potential cornerstone for the Wildcats, announced his intent to transfer the day before the portal opened and eventually landed at Arizona State. There was speculation Boley might return to play under Stein, who had previously recruited him at Oregon, but that reunion never materialized.
“Wish him nothing but the best, number one. Great person,” Stein said.
“Obviously, recruited him prior at Oregon. There’s some things that are out of our control, and it felt like we put a really good plan together in place, and it just didn’t work out.
And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
That’s the nature of the transfer portal era - fast-moving, unpredictable, and often filled with last-minute twists. But for Kentucky, the end result may have worked out just fine. Minchey arrives with high upside, a strong football IQ, and a coach who believes in his ability to lead an SEC offense.
We don’t know yet how this will all play out on the field. But when a coach with Stein’s quarterback pedigree singles out a player like this - and makes him the guy - it’s worth paying attention. If Minchey lives up to the billing, Kentucky may have just found its next leader under center.