Will Stein spent the final day of September talking directly to Big Blue Nation, and the Kentucky head coach covered a little bit of everything: bad weather prep, travel routines, old high school glory, and where he thinks college football is headed next.
One of the biggest concerns this week is the weather. Kentucky has come through one of the wettest summers on record, but the last six weeks have been dry enough that the Wildcats haven’t had many real chances to work in sloppy conditions. That could matter Saturday at South Carolina, even if the forecast is improving.
“We’ve been doing wet ball drills every single day, and not just starting during a week like this. We do them in fall camp, spring football, so our guys are used to those moments,” Stein said.
Kentucky is trying to make practice feel as miserable as possible, too.
“We got squirt guns out there that we’re spraying returners with. We try to make it as inclement weather as we can here in Lexington.”
Stein also laid out what a road trip looks like for the Wildcats. It starts with a 40-play walk-through on both offense and defense, then moves into what he called the Subscript, where the entire team works through different situations. After that, it’s buses, a flight that usually leaves around 3 p.m. depending on the destination, then the hotel, dinner, meetings, chapel and lights out.
The conversation drifted into Stein’s days at Trinity, and that brought up a detail that still sticks with him. During his senior season, the Rocks scored on 48 straight drives.
Stein said he recently talked about it with Andrew Coverdale, who called plays for him in St. Matthews and now serves as Kentucky’s passing game coordinator.
“I don’t know how that’s possible,” said Stein. “But one of my buddies ended up fumbling a jet sweep, so I gotta remind him of that consistently why we didn’t score 49 in a row.”
He also weighed in on the direction college football is going, especially with more teams moving away from constant no-huddle tempo and with the game continuing to look more like the NFL. Stein said he’s fine with that trend continuing.
“It’s getting more and more like the NFL. I’m just waiting for when they literally make the hashes the same as the NFL, the time is the same as the NFL. I don’t know why we don’t play the same rules,” said Stein.
“I mean, in baseball, once you get to 12, 14 years old, you’re playing on a 60-foot, six-inch mound, 90-foot base paths, 300 feet fences. I don’t know why we don’t just play the same exact game as the National Football League, especially because college football is basically like a farm system for the league. Just play the same game, have the same kickoff rules, the same everything.”
Stein didn’t hide where he stands on the kickoff change, either. He said he likes the security of seeing Adam Zouagui drive the ball into the end zone, but he’d rather bring back the return game.
“There’s zero excitement for the return game, and it’s still a dangerous play,” said Stein. “There’s still kids running down at 22 miles an hour, having full-speed collisions. I have zero clue why years ago they didn’t just say, ‘Let’s play the same exact rules as the NFL.'”
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Kentuckys Offense May Hinge On One Thing Fans Arent Watching Yet
Mark Pope sounds encouraged about where Kentuckys offense could be headed in 2026-27, and the reason is pretty easy to understand. The Wildcats should have a group with real shooting punch, led by Milan Momcilovic and other capable perimeter threats, which gives Pope a foundation to build around as he shapes the next version of the roster. From a talent standpoint, the spacing potential is there, and that alone should matter to anyone trying to project how this team will score.
Still, Popes focus goes beyond just making shots. He has also pointed to cutting as a major part of the offense, which suggests Kentucky wants to create easier looks and keep defenses moving even on nights when the ball may not be flying in from deep. The shot-making will draw the headlines, but the way the Wildcats combine that shooting with disciplined movement could end up telling the bigger story of how effective this offense really becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Heads Into South Carolina With Receiver Uncertainty And Thin Depth
Kentuckys trip to South Carolina comes with a little more uncertainty than Mark Stoops would probably like this early in SEC play, especially at receiver. The conferences first availability report for Week 5 put Grant Grayton out, while DJ Miller and Cole Marszalek were listed doubtful and Jay Clark questionable, leaving the Wildcats to sort through a thin group as they prepare for a road test that could demand more from the passing game.
There was at least one small positive on the report, with Tavion Gadson not listed, a sign he may be available. South Carolina, meanwhile, is dealing with its own personnel questions, as Stewart is suspended and Brownlow-Dindy remains uncertain after sitting out the previous game, so both sides head into the matchup without a full picture of who will actually be on the field when kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys South Carolina Prep Suddenly Has A Receiver Concern
Kentuckys first SEC availability report ahead of Saturdays trip to South Carolina brought the kind of news that always gets attention this time of week, with the Wildcats sorting through a few injury designations before hitting the road. The report also surfaced an out status in the secondary, adding another layer of uncertainty as the team continues its preparation for an important conference matchup.
The bigger concern on offense, though, is the receiver group, where the Wildcats now have to account for a potential absence that could affect how they plan the passing game. With a busy Kentucky sports weekend ahead and basketball-related events also on the calendar, the football staff will keep its focus on cleaning up the picture before kickoff and waiting for the next update on who will be available. [Read more 🡒]