Will Stein hasn’t been Kentucky’s coach for long, but he’s already become one of the biggest social-media magnets in college football.
That’s the takeaway from the University of South Carolina’s Social Media Insights Lab, which tracks the online footprint of major sports figures in real time through its analytics tool, “The College Sports Social Pulse™.” Over this past weekend, the four most-discussed college football coaches on social media were LSU’s Lane Kiffin, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Colorado’s Deion Sanders and Stein, who was fresh off leading UK to a 31-21 road upset of then-No. 9 Texas A&M in just his third game as a college head coach.
It wasn’t a one-week fluke, either. According to Clay Owen, a South Carolina professor and the founder of “The Pulse,” Stein has landed among the four most-discussed coaches on social media for two straight weekends.
He also cracked that group the previous week during Kentucky’s 45-17 loss to then-No. 12 Alabama.
So what’s driving all the attention? Owen said it starts with Stein’s now-famous “because of me” line from 2026 SEC Football Media Days. In July in Tampa, Florida, when asked why he believed he could win big in a Kentucky job that has stumped so many of his predecessors, Stein answered, “I think because of me, to be honest.”
Owen said that quote was the top narrative behind Stein’s social-media surge last week.
“The College Sports Pulse,” Owen explained, is built partly to help determine whether college sports figures are smart investments for advertisers and NIL backers. “We try to put some valuations and bring some order to the Wild West of NIL,” he said. “We are looking very much at what an athlete’s brand is worth on social media.”
For Owen, Stein’s rise is only the opening layer of what the tool can measure. “The information about Stein is kind of the first layer of stuff” the system compiles, he said, “but we can go much deeper” on coaches and athletes to see how they interact with brands.
The metrics go beyond raw mentions. “The Pulse” looks at volume, who is engaging, and how the conversation breaks down emotionally.
“We look at how many people are posting about a subject, but just as importantly, is kind of what’s the so-called volume metric? We also look at who’s engaging with it.
Engagement is a really key metric, and we also look at the positives and the negatives, so-called net sentiment,” Owen said.
For Stein, that sentiment has been overwhelmingly favorable. Owen said his “net sentiment” last weekend checked in at “positive-89” out of 100.
That stands in sharp contrast to North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, whose “net-sentiment” last weekend was “negative-82” as his team blew a lead and lost to Swinney and Clemson, Owen said.
“Will Stein’s positives are just unbelievable,” Owen said.
The speed of Stein’s rise has also caught Owen’s attention because it has happened far earlier than the social-media breakout he saw with Curt Cignetti at Indiana. Cignetti, whose Hoosiers are the reigning national champions, did not “break through” in The Pulse’s metrics nearly as quickly, Owen said. “Last season, it took until the end of the year for (Cignetti) to really show up (in The Pulse metrics),” he said.
Kentucky, meanwhile, is in territory it hasn’t occupied before in the tool’s tracking. “Neither the Kentucky team nor (former UK coach) Mark Stoops ever made the Top 10 throughout (last) season,” Owen said. “So Kentucky is in uncharted territory for social-media success.”
After the Texas A&M upset, Stein’s earlier “because of me” comment again fueled the online conversation. Another line from his postgame remarks in College Station also spread widely: “This is what Kentucky football is supposed to look like.”
Owen said that quote was shared repeatedly by Kentucky fans, media and national college football accounts.
Three games into the job, Stein’s bold tone is already reshaping how Kentucky football looks online. Owen summed it up this way: “Stein has given Kentucky football a personality,” he said.
“He’s confident, he’s quotable, and now he’s got a big win to back it up. That’s rocket fuel on social media.
Fans are repeating Stein’s language and talking about a different future for Kentucky football.
“If I had to boil down what’s pushing (Stein) up The Pulse rankings, I’d put it this way: personality, quotability and performance.”
In Other News...
Kentuckys Kicker Battle Isnt Over After Adam Zouaguis Big Moment
Adam Zouagui has handled the kicking job since Jacob Kauwe went down with an injury in fall camp, and the early returns have been encouraging for Kentucky. Through the first three games, Zouagui has made 3 of 4 field goal tries, capped by a career-long 52-yarder against Texas A&M, a kick that showed both leg strength and the kind of poise the Wildcats needed in a close-range, high-pressure role.
Still, the job is not locked up. Kentucky coach Will Stein said Zouagui and Kauwe are still competing for the kicker spot in practice, and he has praised both players for how they have handled the situation. For a team that knows how quickly special teams can swing a game, the battle adds another layer of intrigue as the Wildcats sort out one of the most pressure-packed positions on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys New-Look Roster Just Got A Big National Endorsement
Kentuckys reshaped roster is already drawing national attention, and CBS Sports added another layer of validation this week when Isaac Trotter broke down the sports top players by position. The Wildcats showed up across the board in his lineup of impact talent, with Zoom Diallo pegged as the initiator at point guard, Alex Wilkins slotted as a combo guard, Milan Momcilovic labeled the top off-ball wing and Malachi Moreno listed as a true center.
For a team trying to build around a new mix of skill sets, that kind of spread says plenty about the options on hand. Diallo is expected to organize the offense, Wilkins gives Kentucky another backcourt piece with versatility, Momcilovic adds a wing threat, and Moreno anchors the middle as a classic five. There is still a lot to learn about how it all fits together once the season starts, but the early read from one national observer is clear: this roster has real positional depth and more than one player capable of shaping the Wildcats ceiling. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Texas A&M Win Felt Even Bigger Behind The Scenes
A road win in the SEC usually looks better when you see what went into it, and Kentuckys 31-21 victory at Texas A&M had plenty of extra context tucked into the Wildcats new unKut video series. The behind-the-scenes footage gives a closer look at the coaches, coordinators and even the broadcast call, while also showing how the games momentum swung during a 28-point unanswered run that turned the night in Kentuckys favor.
Will Steins role in the win comes through clearly in the new footage, with the head coach providing the kind of sideline presence that helps explain why the Wildcats stayed composed away from home. The series captures more than just the final score, offering a fuller look at how Kentucky managed the emotional and tactical side of one of its more meaningful conference road wins. [Read more 🡒]