Louisville Director of Recruiting Pete Nochta to join Kentucky, Will Stein
Despite University of Louisville football head coach Jeff Brohm announcing his intention to stay with the Cardinals, the coaching carousel has still stretched to the Derby City.
Cardinal Sports learned late Thursday night that things are in motion for U of L Director of Recruiting Pete Nochta to leave the program and join Will Stein’s initial staff at Kentucky.
Nochta has been a member of Louisville’s staff for over 10 years and has stayed with the program through several head coaches in a multitude of roles. Initially, he was brought on as a graduate assistant and converted to a tight ends coach.
The former Cardinal tight end had been serving in Louisville’s recruiting department since the 2016 season. Nochta’s responsibilities included organizing on-campus recruiting events, arranging visit logistics, and admissions. The Tates Creek product has been a pivotal member of the day-to-day operations on Floyd Street. It is expected that Nochta will take on a similar role with the Cats.
He played for the Cardinals from 2006-10, where he was a member of the 2007 Orange Bowl squad. Nochta played in 41 games, making over 20 starts, recording 11 career receptions for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Nochta and Stein were teammates at Louisville from 2008-2010 and have stayed close friends. Stein was hired by Kentucky earlier this week after serving as Oregon’s offensive coordinator. Stein walked on to the Louisville football team in 2008 and made five career starts in his time wearing red and black, throwing for 1,142 yards and six touchdowns. He played his high school ball at the local Trinity High School and won the 2007 state title. Nochta is originally from Lexington and is the son of a coach. His father, John, was a former KHSAA coach of the year in 1999-2000 when he was at Bryan Station.
The loss of Nochta comes just days after Louisville signed 19 high schoolers to its 2026 freshman class
Louisville swayed former Kentucky Director of Recruiting Vince Marrow from the Wildcats this past summer. Marrow will return to the Cardinals staff in the same general manager role, but they will be in search of a new recruiting coordinator.
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