Week 1 of the 2026 college football season gives Kentucky fans plenty to keep one eye on beyond Kroger Field, where Will Stein’s debut as head coach will come Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT against FCS opponent Youngstown State. Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey is set to make his first career start at quarterback in that game, which will be streamed on SEC Network+.
The Wildcats are only the start of the viewing map. Three former Kentucky players are now running FBS programs, and all three open the season this weekend.
Former UK wide receiver and offensive coordinator Neal Brown, who previously led Troy and West Virginia, begins his latest head coaching stop when North Texas visits defending national champion Indiana on Saturday at noon EDT in Bloomington. FOX will televise that one.
Later Saturday, ex-UK linebacker and co-defensive coordinator Jon Sumrall officially becomes the fifth Florida head coach since Urban Meyer’s exit in 2010 when the Gators host Florida Atlantic. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. EDT at The Swamp, with the SEC Network carrying the game.
Also on the sideline, former Kentucky wide receiver and graduate assistant coach Gerad Parker starts his third season as Troy’s head coach when the Trojans host Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. EDT Saturday on ESPN+.
There’s a batch of former Wildcats to watch on the field as well. Ex-Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley will make his Arizona State debut as the Sun Devils’ starter against Morgan State on Saturday at 10 p.m. in Tempe, with ESPN+ handling the stream.
Quay’sheed Scott, the ex-UK nickelback from Marion, South Carolina, will suit up for his home-state school for the first time when South Carolina hosts Kent State at 12:45 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.
And former Kentucky pass-rush specialist Stephen “Sack’em” Soles Jr. will make his Arkansas debut when the Razorbacks host North Alabama at 4:15 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.
The rivalry watch also starts fast. Jeff Brohm and No.
24 Louisville take on No. 9 Ole Miss at 7:30 p.m.
EDT Sunday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville in one of the biggest games of Week 1. ABC will air it.
No. 20 Tennessee, meanwhile, gets a softer landing with a home game against FCS foe Furman at 3:30 p.m.
EDT Saturday at Neyland Stadium, streamed on SEC Network+.
For the broader national slate, three games stand out on TV. No.
23 Clemson travels to No. 13 LSU on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
EDT in Lane Kiffin’s debut as coach in Baton Rouge, with ABC on the call. No.
5 Notre Dame opens at Wisconsin on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC. And Auburn hosts Baylor in an SEC-Big 12 opener Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
Kentucky’s other Division I programs are also in the mix. Western Kentucky opens its season at Nevada in a late one that kicks off at 10 p.m.
EDT and airs on CBS Sports Network. Eastern Kentucky, listed at 0-1 and 0-0 in the UAC, goes on the road to FBS opponent Jacksonville State, which is also 0-1 and 0-0 in C-USA, at 7 p.m.
EDT Saturday on ESPN+. Murray State also steps up to FBS competition, facing Middle Tennessee State University at 7 p.m.
Saturday on ESPN+.
Morehead State, at 0-1 and 0-0 in the Pioneer League, hosts NAIA opponent Kentucky Christian, which is 1-0 and 0-0 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, at 6 p.m. Thursday on ESPN+.
At the small-college level, Kentucky State heads to Baton Rouge after a 9-3 season and an NCAA Division II playoff trip to play Southern, an FCS team that went 2-10 last season. That game kicks off at 7 p.m. EDT Saturday and will stream on SWAC-TV.
There’s also an in-state matchup when Campbellsville visits the University of Pikeville, which is 1-0 and 0-0 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, at 6 p.m. Saturday.
And Centre College travels north for an early-season NCAA Division III rematch with Hanover College at 2 p.m. EDT Saturday.
In Other News...
Mark Mitchell Saga Left Kentucky Fans Wanting One Answer On J Batt
Mark Mitchells transfer chase had Kentucky fans looking for a late-summer boost, but the forwards path never got far enough to become a true Wildcats storyline. Mitchell, a member of the high school class of 2022, was trying to take advantage of a temporary court-ordered fifth season of eligibility, and Kentucky had reason to be involved until the Southeastern Conference declined to exempt him from its transfer restrictions. In the end, he went back to Missouri, leaving Kentucky with more questions than answers about how much room the program actually had to maneuver.
For Kentucky, the more interesting figure in the background is new athletics director J Batt, who did not arrive until late July and had limited say in a situation shaped by league-level rulings and timing. The episode also feeds a bigger argument around NCAA rules for players who have gone pro but still hold college eligibility, while quietly reminding Kentucky fans that roster-building questions are not limited to basketball, either, with recruiting concerns already looming around football under Will Stein. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Entered A Tough Race For A Rising Big Man
Kentucky has jumped into the mix for one of the more intriguing big men in the 2025 recruiting pool, extending a scholarship offer to Akol Nyok as the high school evaluation period picks up. The 7-foot-1 center has been drawing more attention in recent weeks, and his profile is only getting bigger as schools continue to sort through the next wave of frontcourt talent.
Nyok entered the cycle as a three-star prospect on Rivals, but his rising stock has started to put him on more radars as a four-star-level target. For Kentucky, the offer adds another name to a crowded race for a player whose size alone makes him hard to ignore, and the competition figures to keep building as more programs make their own push. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Faces A Bigger Kenny Minchey Question Than Week 1
Kenny Mincheys move from Notre Dame to Kentucky already made him one of the more intriguing players on the roster, and now his role has taken on a different kind of weight. The fourth-year quarterback is in line to lead the Wildcats when the season opens, giving Will Stein a first-time starter to shape in a way he has not had to do before.
Stein and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan have both pointed to Mincheys progress during fall camp, with the staff focused on getting his mobility and playmaking back to where it was before. The bigger question is not whether Kentucky believes in his talent, but how quickly he can grow into a job that asks a lot from the start, especially when Steins past quarterbacks arrived with far more game experience already behind them. [Read more 🡒]