From SEC afterthought to CFP contender: How Will Stein has engineered stunning tur…
KentuckyKentucky has gone from SEC afterthought to CFP contender in short order under Stein, who arrived in Lexington with a roar of confidence -- It's the Wednesday morning of Kentucky 's bye week, and Will Stein is raring to go.
He pauses the Tennessee game tape he's watching for an unintended consequence of success: another media interview. As Kentucky (7-1) keeps winning on the field, requests for Stein multiply.
As a first-time head coach, he's navigating the world of more for the first time. What may have felt like a dream to Kentucky fans in August is now a possibility, and Stein doesn't want to let it slip through his hands.
To start our interview, I asked Stein what he's learned about himself and the experience as a first-year head coach. "I've learned that I've got to do a lot of interviews like this when I want to watch football and game plan," Stein says.
KEY POINTS
- From SEC afterthought to CFP contender: How Will Stein has engineered stunning turnaround at Kentucky.
- Picked 14th in the SEC, the Wildcats are 7-1 and ranked No.
- Maybe even more pressure as a team picked to finish 14th in the SEC has already surpassed expectations and has a real chance to make the College Football Playoff after debuting at No. 6 in the rankings.
- His answer perfectly summarized what it's like to be a head coach in 2026.