A big win can bring a lot of noise, but Will Stein isn’t spending much time on it. Kentucky’s head coach used his weekly radio hit Wednesday night to make clear that the Wildcats are not losing focus after their statement victory at Texas A&M, and they are definitely not wasting energy on the AP Top 25 snub that followed.
When asked whether the ranking talk has become a thing inside the Joe Craft Football Training Facility, Stein kept it simple.
“It’s not. I mean, I think there’s only been three games played, right?
So I’m more concerned about growth each and every week, us getting better, and let our fans and our support really have fun with that,” Stein said. “Our guys are focused on the process and what we need to do this week to go improve.”
That theme ran through the rest of his conversation with Darren Headrick. Kentucky is trying to keep its footing in what Stein sees as a crucial stretch, especially with success from College Station now carrying over into Week 4 against South Alabama. The coach said the way his team prepares will tell the story.
“The way that you prepare and the way that your process works will more than likely dictate the outcome,” Stein explained. “So our guys have trusted our process and have worked really hard this week.”
It’s the first real “Rat Poison Week” of the Stein era, and the Wildcats are being asked to handle a different kind of test now. The challenge is no longer just the opponent in front of them. It’s the attention around them - national interviews, awards for players, and plenty of local buzz after that result against Texas A&M.
Stein also had a chance to talk about one of the players who delivered in a big way last week: DJ Miller.
The wide receiver was the lone returning pass catcher from Kentucky’s 2025 high school class that the new staff made a strong push to keep. Expectations were already high for the 6-foot-3 target, but an injury in fall camp slowed his start. He was targeted four times against Youngstown State and Alabama without making a catch, which made Kentucky’s effort to get him involved early against Texas A&M stand out even more.
Miller answered with five receptions for 96 yards, including the post route that helped spark the Wildcats’ scoring. Stein said the performance was overdue in the best possible way.
“I was really pleased with DJ,” said Stein. “And honestly, I was really happy for him because he played so hard the first two games.
He really blocked like a pro, and was selling out for his teammates. And unfortunately, the ball was not finding him.
But in the A&M game, we made it a point to give him the ball early and often, and he made a definite impact.”
Stein also offered a few quick hits on other pieces of the roster. He called Florida safety transfer Jordan Castell a “baller” and said he feels very comfortable with Castell and Ty Bryant at safety. He also praised Baylor center transfer Coleton Price as an “old school football player” who has helped lead Kentucky’s rebuilt offensive line, adding that Price “eats, sleeps, breathes football” and has played excellent football this season.
And Stein returned briefly to the Alabama loss, breaking down what went wrong. He said Kentucky was physical in the first half, but the offense came out flat in the third quarter and the defense lost its physicality in the fourth.
The Wildcats used that game as a lesson, and Stein pointed to the next week as proof the message landed. That lesson, he said, helped Kentucky the very next week against Texas A&M.
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