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Sports View America was in attendance from Kentucky Football Media Day which means it’s almost Football time in the Bluegrass! Read as we take you along for all the news from Coaches to the Players and the storylines from a great kickoff to the Will Stein era.
Will Stein Presser
New Kentucky Head Coach Will Stein was hired back in December but has already made National headlines that have been a rare occurrence for the Kentucky Football program in recent years. Stein opened his presser at Media Day saying “Glad everybody is here. First, we had an elite summer, really did. We attacked it. We went four weeks on, a week off for 4th of July, and then another four-week block leading up into right now.
I thought Brandon Roberts and his staff did an excellent job preparing guys for practice. That really is what summer is all about is to prepare your mind, your body, your soul for football practice, and they did a really excellent job.
Fall camp is here. It is here, and it’s very exciting. As much as I love talking to everybody in this room, I am more excited about practicing football. It’s amazing how quickly the off-season evaporates and you snap your fingers and you’re right back into football mode.
Football camp is all about details and execution of our scheme. That really is where we’re building currently and where we will continue to build throughout the next 30 days or so until we play on September 5th (Youngstown State).”
Stein made big headlines at 2026 SEC Media Days in Atlanta when he was asked by KSR’s Adam Luckett why he thought he could win at Kentucky saying confidently “I think because of me to be honest.”
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Will Stein definitely doesn’t lack confidence. What matters though is on the field in talking about his team Will Stein began with players that are getting back to practice and full speed work mentioning: Nick Anderson (WR), Jovantae Barnes (RB), Jaden Smith (DB), Sam Greene (OLB), and Tegra Tshabola (O-Line) “who had a minor procedure nothing is a major season ending setback”, Stein says “Just wanted to point those guys out because I know everyone in this room will probably be at a practice on Thursday and I wanted to give you guys a little bit before you get out there.”
Stein on the 5 for 5 court rulings and potential roster additions before the season kickoff
Q. This latest court decision in Colorado on Friday, are you all looking at any fifth-year guys at this point?
WILL STEIN: “Yeah, we are looking to enhance our roster all the time, through high school recruiting, portal recruiting, junior college. If there’s a five-for-five option that we believe can make us better, we’re going to attack it full force.”
“I think it’s still a wait-and-see. People are not quick to act just because it’s something that’s reported on Twitter, and there are some judges that are ruling in favor of student-athletes getting their fifth year back. But anytime that we can enhance our roster, I’m going to be full steam ahead.”
Will Stein on the Running Back room additions and a DB to RB position change
Q. Speaking of enhancing the roster, you recently added a couple of JuCo running backs. Can you talk about the reasoning behind that, what you liked about them, and what the state of the running backs room is?
WILL STEIN: “Yeah, it’s kind of what I just mentioned about having strength in numbers. Last season at Oregon we went through and played about six running backs. I love two-back sets. I love the ability to use those guys out of the backfield.”
“Both those players, if they would have been able to come out in January, would have had a multitude of offers throughout the entire country. I think they’re both really good players. They’re young, and they’ve got a bright future ahead. We wanted to exhaust everything that we can to keep enhancing this roster, regardless of availability of players. I thought those two could make us better.”
Q. Did you decide on a full-time position for Martels Carter? Is he going to be a running back?
WILL STEIN: “Yeah, he’ll be at running back.”
Will Stein when asked about the move of Pete Nochta to fill the open GM position
Q. You had a change in your front office last week. Did you anticipate that move at all, and why the decision to quickly promote Pete?
WILL STEIN: “Yeah, I’ve known Pete (Nochta) since I was 18 years old. He’s a Lexington guy, born and bred, dad played here, dad was a high school principal in Lexington, and Pete is somebody when I initially got here, he was one of my first calls.”
“Pete could be a GM across all of college football. He’s very smart. He’s extremely well organized, and he played football. I think that’s really important at the GM role. It’s not a necessity, but when you play the game, when you’ve coached the game at a high level, he was a quick move up. And so just like anything in life, the sun rose the next day, and we put our best foot forward to continue to make Kentucky football the best we possibly can. Really excited about Pete and his opportunity and building our personnel department even more now.”
Will Stein on New QB Kenny Minchey and what he brings to the table
Q. You guys had success at the quarterback position everywhere you’ve been since being an offensive coordinator. What attributes do you think Kenny Minchey has that fit so well into your offense?
WILL STEIN: “Well, just tangibles, he’s really accurate. He throws on time. He’s got great feet, and he’s mobile. I think those are critical factors in successful quarterbacks in today’s modern football. Intangibles, loves the game, high football IQ, great leader. I’m excited about Kenny and what he’s going to be able to do for us this season.”
“It’s obviously his first opportunity, so will there be hiccups? I’m sure there will. There’s opportunities to improve after every single game, not just from a player’s perspective but from a coach and game manager’s perspective like I’ll be doing.”
“He’s got all the support in the world from his teammates and from his coaches, and is excited about his opportunity.”
Introducing New OC Joe Sloan
New OC Joe Sloan, new to Kentucky after four years at LSU, where he was instrumental in shaping Jayden Daniels’ trajectory toward winning the Heisman Trophy and later earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. In 2024, he was elevated to offensive coordinator, and in his first season, the Tigers ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 7 nationally in passing offense, averaging 315.2 yards per game. As a unit, the Tiger offense – with first-time starter Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback – ranked fifth in the league and No. 25 nationally with 431.5 yards per game.
Introducing New DC Jay Bateman
In 2025, Bateman helped Texas A&M to a historic 11-2 season and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance. The Aggies finished 7-1 in SEC play, opened the season with 11 consecutive victories and climbed as high as No. 3 in the national rankings. Bateman’s defense was led by SEC Defensive Player of the Year Cashius Howell, who recorded a league-leading 11.5 sacks and generated 41 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Texas A&M finished No. 8 in the final AP poll, while its 11 victories were the second most in program history.
In 2024, Bateman led the Aggies’ defense to a top 35 national ranking in tackles for loss (92) and scoring defense (22.2 ppg), while also finishing in the top three in the Southeastern Conference with 16 interceptions and 76 passes defended.
Kentucky QB Kenny Michey talking to the media
Kenny Michey talking with media
