Will Stein's Coaching Staff Hit the Road Recruiting Kentucky

Recruiting will be a priority for Will Stein during his time at Kentucky. It was one of the first things he mentioned during his introductory press conference.

“We’ve got to recruit every day. We wake these kids up in the morning. We put them to bed at night. It is like shaving: if you don’t do it every day, you start to look like crap,” said Stein.

“We have to recruit, we have to sign great players. Not okay players, we got to sign great players. That’s how you win.”

He’s practicing what he preaches. The Kentucky head coach spent his morning at Frederick Douglass for the Broncos’ morning workouts. He made his rounds throughout Lexington, taking pitstops at Henry Clay and Lexington Catholic. There are probably a few more we don’t know about, too.

Thank you @CoachWillStein @UKFootball for visiting and watching workouts this morning. As always it's SPECIAL to be a BRONCO! @CoachJeffPoe @FDouglassFB @coachwts @coachjoelwardle @coreygamble42 @coachkenyawill @bybee111 @coachdaniel_KY @COACH_LANDING23 @CoachJay_15… pic.twitter.com/wIgN9MlcOK
— Nathan Mcpeek (@coachnatemcpeek) January 16, 2026

Stein wasn’t the only one on the road. Kentucky coaches were in all corners of the state meeting with prospects in-person.

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Jay Bateman, Josh Christian-Young, and Kolby Smith were at CAL. The program hosted a slew of Louisville coaches on Thursday. The four-time defending state champs have a ton of Power Conference talent. WR Ja’Hyde Brown is a 2027 prospect who committed to Indiana last week. Kellan Hall is ranked by Rivals as the No. 5 overall player in the 2028 recruiting class. CAL wasn’t the only stop. They also paid a visit to Stein’s alma mater, Trinity.

Offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich was in Western Kentucky, making his rounds through Owensboro. John Paul Carrico, a 6-foot-8, 300-pound Owensboro Catholic offensive tackle, received a scholarship offer from Leftwich during the visit.

Thank you Coach @CutterLeftwich for stopping by today and checking in on our guys! 1️⃣8️⃣0️⃣0️⃣‼️ #𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 #𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙊𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙤 pic.twitter.com/YxGWtzypWW
— Owensboro Football (@SrHighFootball) January 16, 2026

These are just the trips we know about. Coaches spent time all around the state of Kentucky and they’re bringing plenty of top players to Lexington on Saturday. We have a rundown of all the star-studded visitors.

To win on the recruiting trail, you’ve gotta do it every day. This is a solid start as the Wildcats try to take back the state.

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