Former Card Kolby Smith Expected to Coach Kentucky Running Backs

More Governor’s Cup veterans are trading red for blue. According to Matt Zenitz, Kolby Smith is expected to be Kentucky’s next running backs coach.

It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago when Smith was suiting up for UofL. College Football Reference jogged my memory. It’s actually been 20 years since he split carries with Michael Bush. Smith logged more than 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns between 2003-06. He was taken in the fifth round of the NFL Draft and spent four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs before entering the coaching ranks.

Over the last two years, Smith has been on the Arkansas sideline with his former Louisville head coach, Bobby Petrino. He’s followed Petrino for most of his career, starting in Arkansas in 2012, then to WKU, and back to Louisville. Once the Bobby 2.0 experiment failed, Kolby Smith branched out to Rutgers where he coached Isiah Pacheco for a season. Then Smith tested his salt in the NFL, where he logged four years with the Miami Dolphins.

There are now at least two former UK staffers coaching with Jeff Brohm at Louisville, and now up to three former Cards on the Kentucky coaching staff. The stakes will be higher than ever before for the 2026 Governor’s Cup.

Coaching Experience
2012 Arkansas (Graduate Assistant)
2013 Western Kentucky (Running Backs)
2014-18 Louisville (Running Backs)
2019 Rutgers (Running Backs)
2020-21 Miami Dolphins (Offensive Quality Control)
2022-23 Miami Dolphins (Offensive Assistant)
2023-25 Arkansas (Running Backs)

The 2026 Kentucky Football Coaching Staff

The only official addition so far is Will Stein. There’s not much clarity on where Justin Burke currently stands, but this is our projection for next year’s Kentucky football coaching staff.

Will Stein: Head Coach
Joe Sloan: Offensive Coordinator
Jay Bateman: Defensive Coordinator
Cutter Leftwich: Offensive Line
Joe Price III: Wide Receivers
Kolby Smith: Running Backs
Josh Christian-Young: Safeties
Anwar Stewart: Defensive Line
Mike Hartline: Offensive Analyst
Pat Biondo: General Manager
Pete Nochta: Assistant General Manager
Josh Pruitt: Director of Football Operations

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