Will Stein is not someone who is shy or lacking in confidence. The head coach told everyone he was part of the best head coach/offensive coordinator duo in the country. He isn’t easing into his first spring with Kentucky football.
The new head coach made it clear after practice that a new standard is being set in Lexington, and players who can’t meet it won’t last long.
"I just know we have a certain standard that we've built here."
Kentucky football is different than in years past
Under Mark Stoops, Kentucky was most often on the defensive; the team would play conservative ball control football in hopes of catching the other team if they made a mistake. In comparison, Stein is someone who wants to force mistakes.
"Yeah, I do like to think we practice differently than the years past."
That is a good thing. But where did he get his practice ideas?
It is similar to what I just experienced with Dan (Lanning), but, you know, put my own spin on it where I see fit based on player workload, based on depth. So, there's still a lot of moving parts."
Those moving parts are what makes Sping football so exciting. This is where you build what your team will look like in the fall. All that sweat equity on these muggy March days pays dividends in September.
Will Stein knows what he wants to see
"I just want to see great strain, great commitment, connection within our team. We're not trying to reinvent football during spring ball. It really is fundamentals and technique, and can we run our base install really well and do it so well that we can't get it wrong during a high-stress level on Saturdays?"
That is not to say Stein doesn't care about the mistakes that get made, but right now it' about making those mistakes so they aren't made in the fall. There is always a lot of give and take during coaching transitions because a great portion of players will have been recruited by the previous staff.
Those guys will need to find their voices as the leadership group of this team breaks out.
"We had eight weeks of strength and conditioning, and hardcore running and agility drills, and some combative drills. That's when I think you see guys initially find their voice. Guys are just trying to get lined up...So, I think the voices will emerge as we get rolling."
Those voices will lead the charge into a new era, one defined by aggression.