Will Stein says he's the "biggest Kentucky basketball fan you will ever meet"

by: Drew Franklin01/20/26DrewFranklinKSR

Will Stein spent over half an hour talking about his first weeks on the job as the new leader of Kentucky Football. His coaching staff and roster overhaul were big parts of the conversation, along with the transition and his excitement since taking over.

Basketball, too.

The other sport on campus came up in Monday’s football Q&A. When asked about the shadow that basketball casts over the Bluegrass and working with the program, Stein replied, “I’m the biggest Kentucky basketball fan you will ever meet.

“I went to Tubby Smith Basketball Camp, like four times,” Stein added, as if he was reading off his BBN resume. “I won the hotshot award, I won the free-throw competition.”

But not just basketball, Stein is a fan of all of UK’s programs, listing several other men’s and women’s teams on campus.

“You name it,” he said. “I want this to be the best athletic program in the country, which I believe it is, and will continue to be. So, you’re not going to find me complaining about men’s basketball or any other sport here.”

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He did not comment on the revenue-sharing between UK’s programs.

Stein has already been to two games in Rupp

The former Tubby Smith camp free-throw champ has already taken in at least two Kentucky Basketball games in person this year, including his electric introduction to Big Blue Nation during a timeout in the UK-UNC game in Rupp Arena.

Will Stein blew the roof off of Rupp as the Y tonight pic.twitter.com/pMcpVhXVzD
— Drew Franklin (@DrewFranklinKSR) December 3, 2025

Will Stein makes his debut at the Kentucky-North Carolina Basketball Game

Stein leaned on the recent home basketball game against Mississippi State to show off Rupp and the fan base to several visiting recruits from the football transfer portal, including linebacker Elijah Barnes, who committed to Stein during the game.

“It’s a great environment,” Barnes said after the spontaneous commitment. “This is a basketball-oriented program, but football is coming up as well. They have great fans. They support athletics well.”