Will Stein hasn’t even wrapped up his Orange Bowl duties with Oregon yet, but the new Kentucky head coach is already making moves in Lexington. And on Tuesday, he added another key piece to his growing staff: Kolby Smith, who will take over as the Wildcats’ running backs coach.
Smith brings a deep well of experience to the table-both as a player and a coach. A former standout at Louisville and a veteran of the NFL, he’s spent the last 13 years building a strong résumé across both the college and pro ranks. That journey has included coaching stops at Western Kentucky, Louisville, and even the Miami Dolphins, giving him a wide-ranging perspective on what it takes to develop talent in the backfield.
Most recently, Smith spent two seasons at Arkansas coaching the Razorbacks’ running backs. And when things got turbulent in Fayetteville-following the dismissal of head coach Sam Pittman-Smith was elevated to interim offensive coordinator under Bobby Petrino. That kind of midseason promotion speaks volumes about how he’s viewed inside a locker room: trusted, respected, and capable of leading a unit.
Now, he joins a Kentucky program that’s looking to hit the reset button under Stein. The Wildcats have struggled to find consistency in recent years, and Stein is clearly assembling a staff with the experience and credibility to change that narrative. With Smith on board, Kentucky adds a coach who not only knows how to develop running backs, but who also understands the nuances of offensive scheming-something that could pay dividends as the Wildcats retool their identity on that side of the ball.
For Stein, it’s another calculated hire. Even as he continues prepping Oregon’s high-powered offense for their New Year’s Day clash with Texas Tech, he’s been steadily building out his Kentucky staff piece by piece. With key hires already in place on both sides of the ball, and the January transfer portal window looming, the foundation is quickly taking shape in Lexington.
Smith’s arrival adds another layer to that foundation. He’s walked the walk as a player, coached at multiple levels, and now steps into a program hungry for a fresh start. If Kentucky is going to turn the corner, it’ll take more than just talent-it’ll take the kind of coaching leadership that Kolby Smith has shown he can provide.