Saturday was a momentous night for Kentucky Football in Lexington. Will Stein and his Wildcats went on to get their second top-10 win of the season in Year 1 of the Stein era.
This win mattered for many reasons: it solidified Kentucky as a top-20 team in America, put Kentucky’s name in the College Football Playoff conversation, and helped on the recruiting trail.
With LSU in town, Stein and his staff were able to line up a ton of visits with prominent players in the next few high school classes. The
biggest fish of them all was 5-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall. Hall is currently ranked No. 2 overall in the class of 2028.
Hall had previously visited Kentucky when the Alabama Crimson Tide went to town. That day brought an elite environment and a great visit, but unfortunately, the game (only for about 20 minutes and change) didn’t go well. Kentucky led the Crimson Tide for a good chunk of the game before giving up the lead with 3:00 to go in the third quarter and never getting it back.
Fast forward to this weekend, October 10, 2026. Hall was scheduled to visit Ohio State, but instead visited Kentucky for a second time to see the LSU game.
Now, based on what we’ve seen, that visit for Hall couldn’t have gone better.
We received a video of him on the field during the field storm, saying “What they talkin’ about?” and “Go Cats” with the subtle L’s down (LSU version).
Following the game, Hall told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong, “Kentucky made a statement to the rest of the country tonight”, and saying, “Kentucky definitely has my attention.” In preparation for the visit, he also shared with Wiltfong, “For Kentucky it’s bigger than football. It’s about the impact I could have on the state and leave a legacy.”
Hall posted a couple of pictures with a thank you to Kentucky for having him out to the game.
It can’t be put into words how huge the pickup would be for Stein and this program to get one of the highest recruits in program history in year one, and, based on vibes, it seems like things are headed in the right direction for the prized defensive lineman.
