On Saturday, Will Stein made him much anticipated debut as the head coach of Kentucky football. Big Blue Nation was excited to see how the Wildcats would look, and they weren't disappointed.
Kentucky rolled up over 500 yards of offense against Youngstown State in a 45-13 victory. Though the defense struggled at times, it was a successful opening game for Stein and his new-look roster, giving fans hope that he really can turn the program around.
Stein wasn't the only head coach making his debut this weekend, though. In all, 31 first-year head coaches led their teams onto the field in week one, with varying results. USA TODAY Sports ranked all 31 of them, and Stein came in at No. 15.
Kentucky’s offense looked explosive in a 45-13 blowout of Youngstown
State, with new quarterback Kenny Minchey going for 301 yards and looking like the latest of Stein’s pupils to put up all-conference numbers.
Playing against an FCS school, the Wildcats certainly did what they were supposed to do, winning the game by a large margin. However, the defense gave up a lot of yardage, and likely dragged down his rating a bit.
Still, overall, it was a successful first game for Stein and Kentucky. He'll get his chance to make a bigger splash next week, when the Wildcats take on the Alabama Crimson Tide.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky coach Will Stein's rank among 2026 coaching debuts
