Kentucky football is starting to sound like the kind of program people once only joked about in hoops circles: the one everyone else points to when they want a clean, fast rise. That comparison came straight into focus this week, and the answer is both yes and no.
On the one hand, there’s real reason for the buzz around Will Stein and UK. On the other, what Curt Cignetti has already pulled off at Indiana is its own monster.
Cignetti’s run at a program long stuck in football’s lower gear has produced a 33-2 mark in two-and-a-half seasons, two College Playoff appearances and an unbeaten national championship. That level of surge is hard to imagine being duplicated anywhere.
Still, the larger point is impossible to miss: in an era of unlimited transfers and NIL/revenue share payments, climbing fast has become more realistic in power-conference football than at any other point in college sports history. If the sport’s old power brokers don’t get their restrictions back in place, Kentucky absolutely has a lane to reach a level far above its usual competitive profile.
That optimism naturally leads to the money question, and Stein is already operating on a major contract. He signed a five-year, $28.5 million deal when he took over as UK’s head coach. For 2026, he is set to make $5.1 million, with his salary rising by $100,000 each year through the life of the contract.
There are also plenty of ways for that number to grow. Stein’s deal includes incentive bonuses tied to academics and wins, along with conference and playoff milestones.
He can earn $50,000 for each semester in which the team posts at least a 3.0 GPA. Other bonuses include $50,000 for SEC Coach of the Year, $100,000 for National Coach of the Year, $100,000 for a seven-win season, and an additional $200,000 for wins eight through 11.
There’s also $100,000 for reaching the SEC Championship Game, $150,000 for winning it, and playoff bonuses of $150,000 for a College Football Playoff appearance, $250,000 for a CFP semifinals appearance and $500,000 for making the national championship game. The playoff bonuses are not cumulative.
If Kentucky keeps moving along the current path - 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC - the expectation is that the school would eventually enhance Stein’s deal. And if he ever leaves Lexington for another college job, it likely would not be because Kentucky failed to pay up.
The business side of college sports extends well beyond coaching contracts, of course, and NIL money brings its own tax wrinkle. The IRS has a dedicated section on its website for the taxation of NIL income earned by college athletes, and its guidance is plain: athletes must “report all NIL income that you receive.
“All income received from NIL activities is generally considered taxable income, including non-cash compensation, also known as bartering, like merchandise, gift cards, and services received like haircuts, legal and accounting services, and other personal services.
“If you receive NIL income, you must pay federal income tax. Income that you receive in exchange for your services is generally also subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes (also known as FICA) or Self-Employed Contributions Act taxes (SECA, equivalent to FICA for self-employed persons).
“If you are being paid as an employee of the school or the company paying you, generally, federal income taxes and FICA and Medicare taxes will be withheld from your pay.”
At least two states, Arkansas and Mississippi, have exempted NIL income earned there from state income tax. But the broad answer is simpler than the legalese: in most cases, college athletes are paying the usual taxes on their NIL earnings.
The SEC’s latest transfer debate has also drawn heat, and for good reason. The conference has been considering a rule that would force athletes transferring between SEC schools to sit out a season. The concern behind it is obvious: league officials appear worried about tampering, and about rival schools poaching players off SEC rosters.
But the proposal would have created plenty of problems. Other leagues could have used it against SEC teams in recruiting without having to live under the same restriction.
In the NCAA’s new “five years to play five seasons” model, there is no redshirting except in narrow exceptions, so an intra-SEC move would cost an athlete a full year of competition. And the likely result would have been to push talent out of the league, not keep it in.
For now, that plan has been put on hold. On Monday, SEC presidents tabled a vote on the proposal.
And for those wondering whether this column is about to branch into men’s basketball in Oregon: no, it is not. The question came in, but the answer was simple.
Mark is not applying for the Oregon job. If the Ducks truly want him to run their program, they will have to come calling.
Oregon men’s basketball coach Dana Altman announced his retirement Oct. 7. Former DePaul head coach Tony Stubblefield is serving as the Ducks’ interim coach for 2026-27.
In Other News...
Kentucky Faces A Tougher Oklahoma Test Than Fans May Expect
Kentuckys trip to Oklahoma sits in the middle of a crowded week of college football picks, but it stands out because this is the kind of game where the familiar SEC script can get upended in a hurry. The matchup comes with plenty of recent trend-watching attached, along with the sort of player and performance notes that shape how these predictions get made, and it gives the Wildcats a chance to show they can handle a road test that looks tougher on paper than some fans may have expected.
Oklahoma brings the sort of profile that can punish a team if it starts slowly, and that is why this one has drawn more attention than a routine conference preview. Kentuckys outlook is tied to whether it can match the Sooners tempo and avoid the kind of mistakes that tend to decide games like this, which is also what makes the prediction angle so interesting: the gap between what people think and what actually happens could be smaller than it appears. [Read more 🡒]
Lance Heard Is Giving Kentucky's Offense Something Few Tackles Can
Lance Heard has quickly become one of the more versatile pieces in Kentuckys offense, and that matters for a team looking for every edge up front. The left tackle has not allowed a sack through the first six games, but his impact has gone well beyond pass protection. Kentucky has found ways to use his size and movement skills in space, including a highlight-reel sweep against South Carolina, and the results have given the Wildcats something few offenses can say they have from the tackle spot.
His coaches have also been creative with how they deploy him, at times lining him up as a lead blocker in the backfield, a role Heard has clearly embraced. He was again part of the story in Kentuckys recent overtime win against LSU, adding another layer to a season that has already shown how valuable he can be when the Wildcats ask him to do more than the usual left tackle job. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's Linebacker Situation Just Took Another Unexpected Turn
Kentuckys inside linebacker picture got a little clearer, at least for the moment, when Alex Afari was granted eligibility to play by a temporary injunction from Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards. The ruling comes amid a lawsuit challenging how the NCAA is applying its new five-year eligibility rules to players who graduated high school in 2022, and it adds another twist to a situation that has already moved through multiple legal decisions.
For Kentucky, the timing matters because Afaris status directly affects a depth chart that has been under pressure at inside linebacker. His return gives the Wildcats another option in a spot where every available body counts, even as the larger eligibility fight continues to play out in court. [Read more 🡒]