Will Stein quietly adds Josh Christian-Young and Joe Price to monster staff

Will Stein isn’t just overhauling Kentucky’s offense. He’s quietly building the kind of staff that can win on Saturdays and in living rooms.

Two more big pieces are on the way: Houston safeties coach Josh Christian-Young and UTSA wide receivers coach Joe Price.

Their titles might sound straightforward. Their résumés say these are pressure-point hires.

Christian-Young is expected to slide into the safeties or DB role that’s still vacant on Kentucky’s official staff chart, and the fit makes too much sense. While Price is going to be on the offensive side.

Why Will Stein is adding Price and Christian-Young to Kentucky football staff

At Houston, he helped the Cougars to a 9–3 season while holding five opponents to 17 points or fewer and finishing 28th nationally in pass defense. He was hired there in January 2024 after four seasons on Willie Fritz’s staff at Tulane, where he also worked with outside linebackers.

He’s not just a scheme guy, either. His star pupil this past season, A.J. Haulcy, tied for the Big 12 lead in interceptions (5) before transferring to LSU. That’s the type of ball production Kentucky has been missing on the back end.

There’s also a familiarity layer that matters: Christian-Young previously worked at Army, where he crossed paths with new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman. That shared background should speed up the install and keep the messaging consistent from DC to position room.

As L’Damian Washington says his thank-yous and moves on, Stein is turning to Joe Price to shape the next generation of Kentucky wideouts.

Price has worn just about every hat you’d want in a modern staff. At UTSA, he held the titles of associate head coach, passing game coordinator, and wide receivers coach. Before that, he was the Roadrunners’ director of player personnel. He also spent time at Illinois as director of high school recruiting.

In short: he can scheme it, teach it, and help sign it.

On the field this past year, UTSA’s passing attack flowed through three wideouts, all coached by Price:

• Devin McCuin: 653 yards, 7 TD
• AJ Wilson: 504 yards, 4 TD
• David Amador II: 443 yards, 4 TD

Three receivers over 440 yards and a combined 15 touchdowns is exactly the kind of balanced production Kentucky needs as it retools its room under Stein.

The bigger picture

Stack these moves next to the hires already in place and a pattern emerges. Stein is betting on:

• Coaches with multi-position or personnel backgrounds
• Proven big time recruiters
• Pre-existing chemistry
• Brand synergy

On paper, it looks like a staff built to handle both the on-field chess match and the off-field roster game in 2026 and beyond.

The titles safeties coach and wide receivers coach may sound routine. The impact, if these guys hit like their track records suggest, could be anything but on a monster staff.