LIVE BLOG: Will Stein's Introductory Press Conference

Watch the Entire Press Conference

Photos from a fun afternoon

That’s a wrap

More coverage of the presser coming all afternoon and evening.

The most surprising moment of this all for Stein?

It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours for Will Stein. He said the most surprising moment was his arrival in Lexington, complete with a private jet and a large police escort.

“I was like, floored yesterday, when we landed, we got off the cool private jet that they flew us on. That’s pretty great. Mitch, thank you for that.

“I’m not kidding. There were 15 cop cars in front of our car and 15 cop cars behind our car. I felt like the President of the United States. I was like, What in the heck is going on? I took a picture with my phone. Like, this is — I’ve never seen anything like that, so it kind of woke me up. I was like, this is a big-time gig. You know, this is big time.”

Spring Game coming back?

Kentucky hasn’t had much of a spring game in recent years. It sounds like that will soon change. When asked, Stein said he plans to follow Oregon’s lead and make the spring game a legit event.

“You know the best way to get better at football is to play football. This isn’t like basketball. You can’t just go play five-on-five hoops out in the backyard. Like, you got to put the pads on. You’ve got to hit, you’ve got to tackle. That’s how you get better. That’s how you become tough to win games on the road in the SEC. You’ve got to play football, and that’s what we’ll do. Spring will be a tough camp. Fall will be a tough camp. But what is that going to make us? Gonna make us tough on Saturday.”

Will Stein on NIL/rev-share

Loved this answer from Stein when asked about the importance of having a general manager in the new revenue-sharing/NIL era of college football. He couldn’t confirm the report that Oregon director of recruiting Pat Biondo is his GM yet, but you can read between the lines.

“We’re going to have the best general manager in the country being here with me.
You know, I can’t report on that just yet, but you guys, I’m sure that will come out very soon.

“There is a financial piece to it now. And to me, the best trait of a college football coach now is adaptability. We’ve got to adapt. If you all are still saying, I wish it was like the old days. It ain’t the old days. It’s not, so just get that out of your mind. Let’s push forward. Let’s move forward in this process.”

“I’m like, you’re choosing me over Tayshaun?!”

Stein’s answer about being the Y at last night’s Kentucky vs. North Carolina game was great. Tayshuan Prince was scheduled to be the Y, but when the hire was made, they decided to do both Stein and Tayshaun, quite possibly the only game with two Ys. The surreality didn’t escape Stein, who grew up a Kentucky fan.

“I mean, I kind of blacked out, to be honest, like I didn’t really know what’s going on. I know I did a lot of fist-bumping and yelling. The cheerleaders had escorted me out. I think I kind of wrestled away from them just to start going as quickly as I could.

“So that was unbelievable. I’m like, you’re choosing me over Tayshaun? What the hell is going on here? Okay, all right. But no, it was really, it was really special. Special moment.”

Stein on balancing his remaining duties at Oregon and his new duties at Kentucky

“President [Capilouto] told me yesterday, make sure I balance that, and we do our best. We really do, but it’s just like I said, it’s just going to be relentless, and it’s going to be a grind the next month, but it’s something that I’ve been dreaming of and wanted to do.

“And there’s a team back in Eugene, Oregon that is also counting on me to call ball plays and but I know there’s great support back there. The guys are grinding. I went to those players. I really do want to finish what I started. It’s unfortunate that the calendar is this way. I know you’ve heard coaches across the country talk about the calendar. The calendar is what it is, and excited about the challenge ahead.”

KSR got a shoutout!

While talking about how crazy the last 48 hours have been, Stein gave KSR a shoutout, talking about how his mother Debbie has become a celebrity, in part due to her interview on the radio show.

“We might need to get an [Sports Information Director] for my mom or something. I mean, I see a video she’s talking to KSR, holy crap. All right. This is, this is going. All right. Might need some, some detail on that.”

Steven Peake also got a subtle shoutout when Stein talked about how members of his old t-ball team were in attendance. Louisville Lumbers unite!

‘Sorry, Mitch’: Stein admits he dropped some F-bombs in the team meeting

“It was great to see the players. And I’ve obviously, it’s been a lot the last 12 hours because of Signing Day. Everything’s different. The calendar is different in college football. So, you know, I would like to say I would love to spend more time with them yesterday. Obviously, I introduced myself to them, and my family just kind of gave them me raw.

“I might have said an F-bomb or two, you know. I’m sorry, Mitch, but I did. I am passionate, and I hope they felt that passion and my commitment to them. And, you know, not just Cutter [Boley], but everybody on the team, I’m excited to coach. This is a great opportunity for me, and we have a lot of great players here and ready to get working with them.”

Stein on what he looks for in a QB

Nick Roush asked Stein what he looks for in a quarterback. You’ll like his answer.

“Everybody wants to look at height, weight, speed and I mean, I’ll be the first one to tell you, that’s where you start, kind of in recruiting. Do they fit the measurables? But at quarterback, it’s so much more than that. It’s do they have the mental makeup to be the toughest MFer on the field? Because that’s what they have to be. They have to be mentally and physically tough. That’s really where it starts with me. And then processing ability, being extremely accurate thinking.”

Stein on funding

Adam Luckett asked Stein if he feels he is resourced to be financially competitive in recruiting.

“Yeah, of course. I mean, Mitch and Mark laid out a great plan. I feel like we’re right there to be successful right away.

“Now, let me say this. You know, I worked at a place everybody thinks Phil Knight, Nike, these guys got the most money in the world. Yeah, there’s money there, don’t get me wrong, but we beat recruits because we win the relationships. That’s where it starts. Guys still want to get recruited old school. You still have to know mom, grandma, aunt, and coach. You’ve got to be completely entrenched in these people’s lives. And when you can do that, you don’t always have to be the highest bidder. If the first conversation is about money, probably not the place for you, not because of a lack of it.

“We have plenty of that here, plenty. I talked about 10,000 people last night at the basketball game, all very, very willing and supportive of the program.”

Stein on Roster Building

Questions have begun. One of the first was about roster building.

“I think it all starts at the high school ranks. I really do. I think the first thing that we have to win is Kentucky. Win the state. When Kentucky’s at its best, the best players from the state play for the Wildcats. It always starts in high school, and then you build your roster out, and you manage it according to your numbers, according to where your needs are.

“The portal is a great supplemental tool. It’s not the end-all all be-all, but I would like to think that it always starts with high school ranks. That’s where your real development happens. That’s where your retention happens. That’s where you get to know these people the best, the parents, the people that matter to them, and then they want to stay at your university longer.”

“There’s no reason why we can’t be successful here. Zero. And the excuses are done

“We’re a national brand. We work in the best conference in the world. There’s no reason why we can’t be successful here. Zero. And the excuses are done. It’s time to get to work. It will work. It does take work. I told the team this yesterday, and I think this quote really sticks out to me, that losers think about winners, okay, but winners think about winning. That’s all I’m focused on, is winning.”

“Our plan is to light up the scoreboard”

“Our offense, our plan is to light up the scoreboard. Why not? All right, I’ve seen it done here many times, and that’s the goal. It’s not easy. Football is not easy. It’s not meant to be easy.

“It’s the toughest game in the world, played by really tough men, but I know doing it the right way, doing it the way that I’ve seen at the highest of levels in college football, it will be done here in Kentucky. On defense, man, we’re going to play relentless from point A to point B, attacking the football and having great ball excellence.

“Special teams. We say we’re going to change the game. Like, I want to fake punt. I want an onside kick, right? I want to take advantage of opportunities to steal possessions in the game so we can maximize our points.”

Stein: “The goal is to win here”

“The goal is to win here and not win five years down the road, 10 years down the road, to do it now. And the way that you do that is you work. You work, right? Success is not free. Rent is due every damn day that we’re here, and we’re going to work to get that done, to make Big Blue Nation proud and make our players proud, and do it the right way.”

Stein gives Stoops a shoutout

Will Stein made sure to include a shoutout to his predecessor, Mark Stoops, the winningest coach in program history. Classy touch.

“I’d be remiss to not talk about Coach Stoops and what he’s meant to this program. Really thankful for his 13 years here as the head ball coach. Kentucky football and Big Blue Nation would not be where they are without him. So, we all owe him an incredible amount of debt for his efforts and success here.”

Will Stein says this all feels like a dream

“First of all, I am honored. It is an understatement. I really don’t know what to say. I’ve thought today was a dream. I thought yesterday was a dream. Just been an unbelievable last 24, 48 hours. It’s something that a coach can only dream of to get his first head coaching job and to do it at a place like the University of Kentucky. It’s really, is truly a dream.”

He added that it was extra special that the press conference was taking place on the indoor practice field named after Rich Brooks, whom he got to know at Oregon.

“It’s really cool. I’m standing on the Rich and Karen Brooks football field right now. I got to really link up with Rich when I was out in Oregon. Phenomenal coach. Really look, look up to him. And just really cool that I’m standing on his field.”

Mitch Barnhart on Will Stein

“He has a deep love for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and I think that’s super important. He grew up in the shadows of Commonwealth Stadium in Rupp Arena. He remembers I read an article he talked about sitting in Section 128, row 13, and we might have to visit somewhere over there and see if he can recreate that seat for us here. A little bit later, he attended Tubby Smith’s basketball camp, and I think Tayshaun Prince was his camp counselor, whom he met last night, spent some time with Tayshaun and had a chance to see him at Rupp Arena last night.

“He has a unique passion for this program and this community. His local knowledge and connections are very, very special to Kentucky, and that was a bonus for us. But it’s not where we started, and it’s not why he is new head coach at Kentucky.

“He’s widely considered an innovative and exciting offensive mind play caller with a dynamic scheme that stresses defenses, and that’s what we want. We want to be able to stress opponents in a lot of different ways, whether it’s offensively or defensively. We’ll make sure we put stress on them. And he is with the system right now that does that at a very, very high level.”

“He’s a quarterback coach by trade, has the ability to be in the helmet of the signal caller and relate to them. That’s going to be super important as we continue to grow in the game of college football. We have to score points at a high level to be able to have a chance to compete where we want to compete. He’s coached Heisman Trophy finalists each of the past two years, guys who’ve been drafted into the NFL and were ready to be starters in the league as rookies. That’s not easy to do. That means they were well prepared as they came out. Super excited for that, for our guys that are coming along.”

They showed some of Matt Stein’s Kentucky highlights

Kudos to the UK video team for digging up some old highlights of Will’s dad, Matt’s, time at Kentucky playing under Jerry Claiborne. This has to be a super cool moment for him and Debbie.

Mitch Barnhart on how fast the search went

UK President Eli Capilouto got the party started by talking about the new arts district coming to UK’s campus, made possible by a gift from the Gatton Family. After that, he introduced Mitch Barnhart, who started by thanking the team that helped him with the search: Dr. Capilouto, Eric Monday, Marc Hill, and Rock Oliver. Kentucky’s search moved fast, which Barnhart said was because they didn’t have time to waste.

“The team obviously worked quickly. There were a lot of timelines that were unique to college athletics this year that we’ve never seen before, and that is the reason the pace of a lot of these things has gone differently than they ever have in the past.”

Will Stein makes his entrance

UK’s stream was struggling, so those of us watching from home missed Will Stein’s intro. Thankfully, Mario Maitland was there to capture it for us.

Quite an outfit from Kash Daniel

The former Cat turned OVW wrestler is sporting a cowboy hat, boots, and mustache at the press conference, a look he can absolutely pull off. Other former players in attendance: Jeremy Jarmon, Derrick Ramsey, Marcus McWilson, Kenneth Horsey, Cisco Bryant, and Bunchy Stallings.

Cutter Boley is in the house

Cutter Boley has yet to announce his plans, but he is among the many players at the press conference. Jacob Tamme and Pat Biondo, who will reportedly be Kentucky Football’s new GM, are also there.

Anwar Stewart in attendance

Defensive line coach Anwart Stewart is in attendance today. Could he remain on staff? Several players are there too.

KSR is live (outside, of course)

No streaming is allowed inside Nutter Field House until the news conference is over, so Nick Roush and Adam Luckett are outside to share the scene and some National Signing Day updates before Stein takes the stage at 4 p.m. Watch below.

Setup at Nutter

Here is the setup at Nutter Field House for today’s event, courtesy of our colleague Jeff Drummond.

Will Stein’s photo shoot

Chet White worked his magic when Stein arrived in town yesterday. Check out these photos UK put out ahead of today’s press conference of your new head coach.

Fans lined up in the cold to get in

Excitement is high in BBN for the Will Stein era. There is snow on the ground, and it’s freezing out, but fans have been lined up outside the Nutter Field House for hours to get in. Thankfully, the doors just opened, so they can go inside and get warm.