Will Stein’s future is a popular topic of conversation around college football. The first-year head coach has Kentucky Football inside the top 10 heading into the bye week. The Wildcats are expected to be included in the first College Football Playoff poll when it releases next Tuesday, the first time since 2018.
Other programs are already taking notice. Texas fans discussed poaching Stein before their upset win over Ole Miss, and Oregon would gladly welcome their former playcaller back after firing
his replacement, Drew Mehringer.
Stein addressed his future during a recent conversation with Tom Leach. He made his deep ties to the program very clear.
“I love everything about this job,” Stein said during his Monday radio show. “Number one, I love our fans. I love the Bluegrass. I love being a homegrown guy from Kentucky. I just love UK. I really do.”
He explained that this was the one job he circled during his time at Oregon. Stein knew if the offer came, he had to take it.
Stein added he would have been sick to his stomach seeing someone else take the position given the opportunity he had.
“So yes, I love it here,” he said. “My family loves it here. I’m obviously close to home, being from Louisville, and I want to continue to grow here and grow my family. I love it.”
BBN loves having him. J. Batt will have to make some decisions after the season if things stay the way they are. Stein’s five-year, $28 million contract makes him just the 14th-highest-paid coach in the SEC. Arkansas’ Ryan Silverfield makes nearly a million more per year in base salary.
I don’t think that remains the same after the season Stein is putting together. But there is still a lot of football left to play, and the biggest thing right now is keeping the momentum rolling for this program.
