When Will Stein took over the Kentucky football program, everyone wanted to know how a former Oregon offensive coordinator was going to build his roster in the SEC.
His answer? It starts right here in his own backyard.
“I just know it’s about us," Stein told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "It’s about us, not about anybody else. We got to take care of ourselves, farm our own land, and let our play on the field do the talking.”
In that interview with Jon Hale, the new head coach made it abundantly clear exactly what he views as the absolute most important aspect of his rebuilding job.
It all starts with winning the Bluegrass state
Kentucky is not traditionally known as a massive pipeline that produces a ton of top-end SEC talent every single year. But when those elite players do pop up in the Commonwealth, Stein believes it is his ultimate duty to keep them at home.
“That’s the No. 1 job for us in recruiting, is to win the state of Kentucky,” Stein told Hale. “...It’s about keeping the best players at home. It always will be. It always has been. When Kentucky’s at its best, it’s had great in-state talent playing for the Wildcats."
Stein, a Louisville native himself, fully understands the passion that kids in this state have for the blue and white.
“Just means a little bit more to those guys," Stein explained. "I mean, they grow up watching the Cats. Our state is a vast majority of Kentucky fans, so I want to make sure the… Will Steins of the world that grew up rooting for the Cats can come play for them if they have earned the right to be on this roster.”
I bet that makes all you Louisville fans feel real nice reading that.
If Will Stein can successfully build a fence around the state, Kentucky will have a massive leg up in building out the foundation of its roster. But to run the state, they are going to have to go through a familiar recruiting machine down I-64.
The Louisville elephant in the room
To lock down Kentucky, Will Stein has to beat Jeff Brohm and Vince Marrow.
Marrow, now the General Manager and Executive Director of Recruiting at Louisville, is the exact architect who built Kentucky's recruiting infrastructure over the last decade plus under Mark Stoops. He knows every single high school coach in the state, and he knows exactly how to sell the SEC. Now, he is weaponizing that for the Cards.
Stein is fully aware of the monster he is up against, but he is handling the rivalry with pure class and extreme confidence.
“I haven’t had much conversation with Jeff [since I was hired], but I love Jeff,” Stein noted. “...Grew up a giant fan of him and his brother. … So nothing but respect for Jeff and what he’s done at Louisville."
Brohm has certainly set Louisville on a different path. The last two years, Louisville has dominated the Governor's Cup.
"He’s set a standard in the state of what winning football is, and it’s our job to match and exceed that,” Stein boldly declared.
The battle lines are officially drawn. It is Will Stein's modern offense versus Vince Marrow's deep-rooted relationships. If Stein truly wants to "farm his own land," the harvest is going to be incredibly hard-fought.