Will Stein has not even fully unpacked in Lexington and he is already leaving fingerprints all over Kentucky’s recruiting board.
While juggling the College Football Playoff with Oregon, building a new staff and trying to stabilize the current roster, Stein has also started shaping the Wildcats’ future with a fresh wave of offers.
New Kentucky football offers show Will Stein’s early recruiting blueprint
One of the first names to pop was in state running back and linebacker Jay’Quan Crawford from Bullitt East. The 6 foot 2, 200 pound athlete already holds offers from Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Louisville and Kent State, and now Kentucky has entered the chat. Crawford fits exactly what Stein likes in that hybrid offensive and defensive piece, someone who can hit, run and stay on the field in multiple packages.
Then there is the quarterback swing. Four star passer Keegan Croucher, a 6 foot 4, 205 pound quarterback committed to Ole Miss, was offered again once Stein took over the Kentucky job. Croucher is a top 20 quarterback prospect in the 2027 class and there has been no public sign that he is wavering from Lane Kiffin, but Stein clearly believes it is at least worth seeing if the relationship can be rekindled.
The third name shows another part of the blueprint. Kentucky offered unranked in state athlete Garion McPherson, who currently has no other offers. Playing high school ball in Kentucky can sometimes mean big production with limited national exposure, and Stein seems eager to bet on what he sees on film rather than just what shows up in a recruiting database.
While some current Wildcats are heading to the portal, others are choosing to stay, and a few are headed to the NFL, the staff does not have the luxury of hitting pause. If Will Stein wants to put his scheme and vision on Kroger Field, he has to stack classes now. These early offers look like the start of that process, not the end.