In 2024, Kentucky's longtime recruiting wizard Vince Marrow left. Then, just a year later, gone was Mark Stoops and a staff where some members had been entrenched for seven-plus years or longer.
A new strength program, a new nutrition program, and a whole new coaching staff are in Lexington.
Part of Will Stein's biggest hurdles upon arriving was finding his coordinators. He did that by landing former LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan and former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Jay Bateman. But recently, there has been some criticism directed at the collective age of the staff, with Stein himself being just 36 years old.
Stein isn't backing down from that conversation. In fact, he believes the game has changed so much that the old definition of "experience" might not apply anymore.
Building the coordinators, Jay Bateman and Joe Sloan
Stein explained that his hiring of Bateman was strategic. As a young, offensive-minded head coach, he wanted a veteran presence on the defensive side of the ball, but a veteran who still had a modern edge.
"Number one about Jay: awesome dude. I mean, can connect with any player from any demographic. Just a phenomenal person.
"He's a veteran, right? He's a veteran coordinator. And that's something I was looking for, too. A guy that's been in college for a while to be on that side of the ball that's been through ups, downs, and currently was at an elite spot on defense with Texas A&M. I think Jay's creative. I think he's aggressive. He's also willing to learn new things."
On the offensive side, Stein went with someone he shared a brain with: Joe Sloan.
"Joe's a great guy. I did meet him through recruiting. We recruited a lot of the same quarterbacks over the past couple of years, and then we would Zoom a lot in the offseason, talk football, and we just had the same philosophy, same identity. He's another guy like Jay who can really move the needle in recruiting."
'Experience is all relative'
When pressed on the youth of his position coaches, specifically citing DE/OLB coach Tony Washington Jr., Stein delivered a passionate defense of his hiring philosophy.
To Stein, what worked 20 years ago doesn't work now.
"I think experience is all relative. What we're doing now in college football is not the same as we were doing 20 years ago. It's just not. Everything's changing. Recruiting's changed. Portal's changed. It's about adaptability.
"And these guys showing me that they're the best people for these jobs. They relate to players. They connect with players. And then as a guy that I've coached with, seen firsthand, this guy can coach. So I feel great about our staff. Are they young? Yes, I'm young. But it's a new age of college football. And to me, it's about putting the best people in these jobs. High IQ, high character, guys that love coaching, really smart."
Stein specifically highlighted Washington as a rising star.
"I know Tony was a really good player, too. He played the position. He scored a touchdown in the Rose Bowl. This guy is a star, to be honest."
Stein is right: Experience is indeed relative. Sometimes, having 20 years of experience just means you have 20 years of bad habits. Sometimes, if you have a negative history, that experience means a lot less than fresh energy.
We will see what each brings to the table in the fall, but one thing is clear: Will Stein is betting on adaptability over tenure.