Will Stein Injecting Energy into Kentucky Football Recruiting Operation

This time a year ago, covering Kentucky football recruiting was a chore. It was most comparable to cleaning the baseboards. You should do it, but nobody’s gonna notice if you don’t.

Mark Stoops‘ staff went quiet, and by the time the season kicked in, there wasn’t much in the tank. They hosted a big batch of visitors for the SEC opener, and that was about it. Instead of trying to flip a few Blue Chippers late in the season, they pivoted to JUCO recruiting. There was very little energy and zero momentum.

Will Stein has flipped the script. On the day the transfer portal closed, the Wildcats’ new head coach and his staff were in high schools across Kentucky. On the following day, they held their first Junior Day. It was loaded with notable names who gave rave reviews to Steve Wiltfong about the experience.

“The energy around Kentucky is something we haven’t seen in a long time,” the Rivals recruiting analyst said on the Wiltfong Whiparound. “Obviously, they’ve gone out and crushed it in the transfer portal, landing some top targets all over the football roster. But then, they hit the ground running recruiting this weekend.”

Kentucky hosted four-star 2026 defensive lineman Dylan Berymon for an official visit, where the Cats made up plenty of ground on Nebraska ahead of his decision. Jalaythan Mayfield, the fourth-ranked linebacker in the 2027 class, was impressed by the culture Stein is establishing in Lexington. Sean Fox, a four-star linebacker from Indianapolis who played in the Navy All-American Bowl, was offered on Friday, then visited Kentucky the following day.

The energy could transform into commitments in the near future. Kentucky hosted a pair of in-state offensive linemen from the 2027 class, Woodford County’s Justyn Perez and Pulaski County’s Brady Hull. Wiltfong has placed an RPM pick for the Wildcats to land a commitment from the latter.

“He says that Kentucky is going to be hard to beat and is setting the bar moving forward,” Wiltfong said of Hull. “I feel the same for Woodford County offensive lineman Justyn Perez. He’s always dreamed of going to Kentucky, and this new coaching staff is making it very exciting.”

For the first time in a long time, it’s exciting to closely follow Kentucky football recruiting. Stein has only been pounding the pavement for a week. Prepare for an eventful offseason as the new coaching staff rides a wave of early momentum on the recruiting trail.

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