Will Stein’s Kentucky Era Begins with Youth, Energy, and a Touch of Louisville
Will Stein hasn’t even coached his first game in Lexington, but the new Kentucky head coach is already working across time zones like a man with something to prove-and a staff to build. While still wrapping up his duties as Oregon’s offensive coordinator ahead of the Ducks’ College Football Playoff showdown with James Madison, Stein has been busy laying the foundation for what he hopes will be a new era of Wildcats football.
And if the early moves are any indication, Stein’s vision is bold, youthful, and a little unconventional by SEC standards. Let’s break down what we’re seeing so far from the 36-year-old coach’s early days on the job.
1. Youth Movement: A Staff Built for the Modern Game
The first thing that jumps out about Stein’s hires? This is a young staff. Not just young by SEC standards-young by any standard.
Stein himself is only 36. His new offensive coordinator, Joe Sloan, is 39.
Cutter Leftwich, just announced as Kentucky’s new offensive line coach, graduated high school in 2017. That’s not a typo.
And Tony Washington Jr., expected to join the defensive staff from Ohio State, is just 33.
That’s a lot of fresh faces for a league known for grizzled veterans and battle-tested lifers. But there’s a method to the youth. In a sport that’s evolving rapidly-from NIL to the transfer portal to ever-shifting offensive philosophies-Kentucky is betting that a younger staff can adapt faster and connect more authentically with today’s players.
This isn’t about inexperience. It’s about energy.
About ideas. About building something that feels modern, not just recycled.
And in a conference as cutthroat as the SEC, that kind of innovation might be exactly what Kentucky needs to punch above its weight.
2. Recruiting Roots: All Roads Lead Through Texas and Louisiana
If you want to know where a program is headed, look at where its coaches have been. And based on the resumes of Stein’s early hires, it’s clear that Kentucky is planting flags deep in the heart of Texas and across Louisiana.
Stein spent eight years coaching in Texas before heading west to Oregon. New defensive coordinator Jay Bateman is coming from Texas A&M.
Leftwich has logged time at both UTSA and North Texas. Joe Price III, the new wide receivers coach, also comes from UTSA and brings strong ties to Houston and Texas high school football.
And while not yet officially announced, Josh Christian-Young-currently on staff at Houston and previously at Tulane-is expected to join the defensive staff as well.
Then there’s Sloan, who brings serious recruiting chops from his time at LSU and Louisiana Tech. His connections in the Bayou are deep, and he knows what it takes to pull talent out of one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country.
But Sloan made it clear this week: it’s not just about where you’ve been-it’s about who you connect with. “Recruiting is a people business,” he said. “Coaches, mentors, family members-they want to know you have a plan for their son, on and off the field.”
Yes, Kentucky will still recruit Ohio and Georgia. But don’t be surprised if the next wave of Wildcats stars comes from Houston, New Orleans, or Dallas. Stein and his staff know those areas well-and they’re not afraid to lean into that.
3. A Little Louisville in Lexington
Here’s something that might raise a few eyebrows in Big Blue Nation: several key members of Stein’s staff have Louisville ties.
Start with Stein himself. A former Trinity High quarterback, he walked on at Louisville and eventually became the Cardinals’ starter after Kentucky passed on offering him. Now he’s running the show in Lexington.
Kolby Smith, reportedly set to become Kentucky’s new running backs coach, was a standout back at U of L from 2003 to 2006. Pete Nochta, officially named UK’s new assistant general manager, played tight end for the Cardinals from 2008 to 2010 and spent years in their recruiting department.
For some UK fans, that might feel a little strange. Louisville bloodlines inside the Kentucky football program?
It’s not something we’re used to seeing. But Stein isn’t trying to erase his past-he’s using it.
He’s pulling from his own network to build a staff he trusts, one that fits his vision.
And at the end of the day, that’s what matters. Not where a coach played, but what they bring to the table. If this Louisville-infused staff can help Kentucky compete in the SEC, fans will embrace it quickly.
The Bottom Line
Will Stein hasn’t coached a down at Kentucky yet, but his fingerprints are already all over the program. He’s building a staff that reflects who he is: young, ambitious, and unafraid to do things a little differently.
Whether it’s tapping into new recruiting pipelines, assembling a coaching roster that skews young, or drawing from his Louisville roots, Stein is making it clear-this isn’t just a continuation of the Mark Stoops era. It’s something new.
And in a sport that never stops moving, that might be exactly what Kentucky needs.