Obviously, Kentucky Football's miserable recruiting history, at least as far as the best of the best goes, is no fault of Will Stein's. The new head coach has done everything in his power since being hired in December to overturn those pitiful expectations, and already, he's off to a hot start.
Four-star quarterback Jake Nawrot ranks as Kentucky's fourth highest recruit of all time, according to 247Sports. That's incredible, of course, but there's an issue in there that has nothing to do with Nawrot; on that very same list, the three recruits above him are all well removed from the team now.
Kentucky's last five-star recruit came in the form of offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin in 2022... who would promptly transfer to Florida less than one year after his enrollment. Linebacker Micah Johnson and tackle Antonio Hall come in above him, but each of those guys were in Lexington in 2006 or earlier.
This is a program that, in spite of some intermittent recruiting successes, has consistently failed to bring in five-star talent, or compete on the national scale. We know Will Stein intends to change the latter, but to do that, he'll have to address the former problem first... and fast.
That may not seem like a fair assessment upon a first glance, and if that's your perspective, you're probably right. But I'm not the one hyping up this new era (at least not always) - that'd be Coach Stein himself. That's part of the reason why Kentucky fans love him.
The Gap Between Four and Five-Star Talent
The 2027 class trending for a top 25 spot early is also probably a big part of his popularity in Lexington, too, and it's the best sign we've yet received that he's got this thing trending in the right direction. But just as a win in the Citrus Bowl isn't the same thing as an appearance in the College Football Playoff, there's a gap between four and five-star talent for a reason.
Now, I do believe there's a chance that the aforementioned Nawrot can slide up into five-star territory; he's that good. And, in the same breath, a player's designation doesn't mean everything as to how they'll actually end up on the field.
But Kentucky's consistent failure to land the big names coinciding with their similarly consistent mediocrity in football, all things considered, has to mean more than nothing.
Getting Mark Stoops out the door was the first step, and even before hiring Stein, the program was in a good spot to take a step forward. Now, though, with a recruiting menace calling the shots, confidence is rising that Kentucky can actually silence this hiccup that has haunted Kroger Field for literal decades.
To boot, I imagine a big part of future recruiting efforts will be how Stein-coached teams actually play. For that, of course, we'll have to hold on just a little bit longer.
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