Will Stein puts his money where his mouth is with Spring Game announcement

When Will Stein was hired to take over the Kentucky football program, he made one thing abundantly clear: this team is going to be playing football at an incredibly high level.

But according to Stein, there is only one way to actually get to that point. You have to play a lot of football.

"You know the best way to get better at football is? Play football," Stein recently explained. "This isn’t like basketball. You can’t just go play five-on-five hoops out in the backyard. You got to put the pads on, you got to hit, you got to tackle. That’s how you get better."

"That’s how you become tough to win games on the road in the SEC. You got to play football, and that’s what we’ll do through spring. It’ll be a tough camp."

If you are a Kentucky player right now, you better be ready to go to war. There will be easing into the new coaching staff, you better be ready to go from the jump.

And now, Stein is officially putting his money where his mouth is with the massive announcement that Kentucky will indeed be hosting a real, physical Spring Game this year.

A real Spring Game returns

The Spring Game is one of the few times fans can actually flood into the stadium and get a fresh look at the roster before the program completely closes up shop until the fall.

With Kroger Field currently undergoing a $25 million renovation project, including new chairback seating in the upper decks and some brand-new premium club spaces, the seating arrangement will probably look a little bit different. Kentucky hasn't announced the exact logistical details for the crowd just yet. Look for that information to drop as we get closer to the officially announced April 18th game date.

Seating logistics aside, having a real Spring Game is incredibly important for the players on the field.

Going back to COVID, there have been several Springs that came and went with no real game. There were some practices, some that had just a fan day, but the lack of the game was a problem. That won't be an issue this year.

This is a brand-new coaching staff bringing in a completely new system. They desperately need to see live game reps with players going all out in a stadium environment. They have to evaluate the roster, but more importantly, they have to evaluate themselves and how they work together.

A live scrimmage allows the coaches to get a genuine feel for coaching together in a game format, testing out how sideline communication will work when the pressure is actually on. No, it won't be the exact same, but it will be pretty close.

So, after all the talk about building toughness, the Cats get a real Spring Game after all. Let the Will Stein era officially begin, knowing that he isn't afraid to put his money where his mouth is.