'We've got plenty of that': Will Stein believes Kentucky is resourced to win big

Resources have always been all the rave in college football. Team need to built-in advantages to win. We have entered a new era in 2025 with rev-share and NIL. Now funding is the ultimate resource. Cash is needed to build a roster. That is exponentially true in the SEC. At UK, the Wildcats have to fund a basketball program with championship expectations and a football program that is trying to compete against the best of the best in the SEC.

Culture, scheme, play calling, and talent development are all needed to win. These are things that Kentucky football must be great at but they also must need funding. You cannot win a NASCAR race without the proper equipment. Are the pieces in place for a first-year coach to jump in and have immediate success?

New Kentucky head coach Will Stein believes so.

“Of course. Of course. I mean Mitch and Marc laid out a great plan to be successful right away. Now let me say this, you know, I worked at a place where 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,” Stein told KSR on Wednesday. “Guys still wanna get recruited old school. You still gotta know mom, grandma, aunt, coach. You gotta be completely entrenched in these people’s lives. And when you can do that — you don’t always have to be the highest bidder.”

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After wrapping up signing day on Wednesday, the first order of business for Will Stein will shift to building a staff, working on player retention, and building a plan to attack the transfer portal when it opens in January. Much of that portal work must get done in December. While Stein goes through a playoff run, members of the staff must be around in Lexington to start working with the team and to start on roster-building. Oregon director of recruiting Pat Biondo and UTSA offensive coordinator Justin Burke are expected to be two of those individuals. The Cats will have the resources available to go build a new team but this process won’t be all about money.

“If the first conversation is about money, probably not the place for you. Not because of lack of it. We’ve got plenty of that here,” Stein explained. “Plenty. I talked to about 10,000 people last night at the basketball game. All very, very willing and supportive of the program. So I know we have that.”

There has been a lot of talk about this football program being financially resourced enough to truly compete. Will Stein believes in the plan presented by the Kentucky administration and is ready to go build a team that can make some noise in 2026.