Welcome to the new era of college football, where the transfer portal doesn’t just swing open-it blows the doors off the hinges. And for Kentucky head coach Will Stein, navigating that chaos is just part of the job now.
Stein just wrapped up his first full transfer portal cycle as the Wildcats' head coach, and if you think the process is as simple as scouting players and making a few calls, think again. College football’s version of free agency is a high-stakes, fast-moving, and often murky operation. And Stein isn’t sugarcoating it.
“There’s a lot of gray, mostly gray, just to be quite frank,” Stein said during a recent appearance on OutKick’s Hot Mic. “You have to do your best job as a coach, operating within the confines of the rules.
That’s why rules are in place-but they get skewed. They change almost weekly, daily, sometimes yearly.”
That shifting rulebook? It’s a moving target for coaches trying to stay compliant while still building a competitive roster. And it’s not just about what’s written down-it’s about how those rules are interpreted, bent, or outright ignored.
Take last week’s headline-grabbing allegation from Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. He publicly accused Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding of tampering after linebacker Luke Ferrelli, who had already signed with Clemson, reportedly received a text from Golding asking, “I know you’re signed but what’s the buyout?”
That message became a bargaining chip for Ferrelli’s agent, who tried to leverage it into an extension at Clemson. Ultimately, Ferrelli re-entered the portal and landed at Ole Miss.
That’s the kind of behind-the-scenes maneuvering that Stein says is becoming more common-and more complicated.
“Guys are shopping pre-portal. They are,” Stein admitted.
“It’s not just coaches. Agents are shopping their players before the season.”
It’s a reality that coaches across the country are dealing with: agents reaching out with lists of players who might enter the portal, trying to gauge interest before anything becomes official. But there’s a line, and Stein is adamant about where it is.
“You can’t text or call guys. You can’t do that, so don’t do it.
It’s not that hard,” he said. “It’s like the hidden rules of baseball.
You know what to do, what not to do. Just follow the agreements.
You’re still playing by the rules, but don’t text the kid. I mean, is it that hard?”
The frustration is clear. In a system that’s already difficult to manage, Stein’s message is simple: operate with integrity, even when others don’t. But he’s also not naïve about how the game works.
That brings us to the agents-the power brokers of the modern college football landscape. They’ve long been painted as the villains in this story, but Stein takes a more pragmatic view. He’s not just tolerating their presence-he’s engaging with them.
“You talk to everybody, you do,” Stein said. “Do I hand it off to Pat Biondo, my GM?
Yes. But there’s also calls that you got to take, just because you got to take it.”
It’s a balancing act. On one hand, Stein has trusted staff like Biondo and Pete Nochta handling the bulk of the recruiting and roster-building duties. On the other, he knows when it’s time to step in and make the personal connection that can seal the deal.
“I’m talking to guys from A1 and CAA and all these other sporting agencies,” he said. “If it helps us get the best players possible for Kentucky football so we go win games, do what you got to do.”
That’s the blueprint. Build relationships, stay within the rules, and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty-ethically-if it means landing a difference-maker.
“Do I want to spend all day talking to agents? No,” Stein admitted. “But in the recruiting cycle and seasons, if I need to get on a phone and either have a hello or close the deal, and it takes me being involved in that, then yeah, we’re going to do whatever’s necessary.”
That’s the new job description for a college football head coach in 2026. It’s not just about Xs and Os anymore. It’s about navigating the gray, playing the long game with agents, and keeping your program competitive in a landscape that changes by the hour.
For Stein, that means embracing the chaos-without losing sight of the rules that still matter.