Here’s how much Kentucky football will pay the assistants on Will Stein’s staff
The budget for Will Stein’s first Kentucky football staff is similar to what UK paid Mark Stoops’ staff last season.
But Stein’s supersized staff means that spending will fund more coaching positions than ever before, according to documents obtained by the Herald-Leader through the state’s open records law.
Last season, UK spent $7.39 million on the 10 football assistants tasked with recruiting off campus for Stoops. The 10 recruiting assistants for Stein will be paid $6.195 million next season.
However, seven more assistants on Stein’s staff will be paid at least $100,000, bringing the total staff spend to just more than $7.8 million. While Stoops also included several other coaches on his staff outside the 10 recruiting positions, none were paid more than $102,000, according to the Herald-Leader’s UK salary database.
Stein has already hired 24 assistant coaches tasked with on-field instruction, three more than UK listed on its roster last season.
The school has yet to finalize formal contracts for any of its new football coaches, but salary information and other incentive details were included in term sheets signed by each coach upon their hires.
Offensive coordinator Joe Sloan ($1.3 million) and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman ($1.3 million) are the only new assistants who will be paid at least $1 million per year. Stoops previously had three assistants making seven figures, though one of them, recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow, departed before the 2025 season.
Defensive line coach Anwar Stewart, the lone holdover among the 10 recruiting assistants from Stoops’ staff, will be the highest-paid position coach at $585,000 next season. His new two-year contract includes a raise to $625,000 the following year. Stewart was the fourth-highest paid position coach last season.
Outside linebackers/edges coach Tony Washington, who came to UK from Ohio State, will be paid $575,000 for the 2026 season and $625,000 for the 2027 season. Wide receivers coach Joe Price, cornerbacks coach Allen Brown, running backs coach Kolby Smith and tight ends coach Justin Burke will each be paid $500,000 per year on two year-contracts. Offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich will be paid $485,000 per year, and safeties coach Josh Christian-Young will be paid $450,000 per year, each on two-year deals.
Each of the 10 recruiting assistants would owe UK $800,000 if he leaves for another coaching job before Dec. 1. That buyout drops to $300,000 per year remaining on the contract after Dec. 1, 2026. Those contracts also include the same incentives for bowl appearances ranging from $15,000 for reaching a non-playoff bowl to $75,000 for reaching the national championship game.
The 10 recruiting assistants can earn an additional $100,000 for winning a national championship and $15,000 for qualifying for the SEC championship game. The SEC bonus increases to $25,000 if Kentucky wins the conference title.
Stein’s staff spending does not stop at those 10 assistants, though.
Special teams coordinator and inside receivers coach Parker Fleming ($400,000), run game coordinator Derek Warehime ($300,000), inside linebackers coach Chad Wilt ($250,000), assistant offensive line coach Dallas Warmack ($110,000), nickel backs coach James Gibson ($100,000) and assistant wide receivers coach Thomas Shuler ($100,000) will all be paid six-figure salaries next season. The other assistant position coaches on staff will be paid between $50,000 and $65,000.
Unlike the 10 recruiting assistants, the other coaches do not owe UK any buyouts if they leave for another job. Their bowl incentives are worth half as much as the incentives owed the recruiting assistants. The SEC championship incentives are each worth $5,000 less than the incentives owed the recruiting assistants.
Fleming is the only non-recruiting assistant signed for two seasons. The other coaches’ deals expire on Jan. 31, 2027.
Pat Biondo, Stein’s general manager, will be paid $500,000. Assistant general manager Pete Nochta will be paid $230,000.
Kentucky has also increased the investment in its strength and conditioning staff.
Brandon Roberts, Stein’s director of football sports performance, will be paid $450,000 per year. Assistant strength coaches Joe Miday ($170,000), Quinn Barham ($160,000), Joe Powell ($120,000) and Shayon Guest ($100,000) will also be paid six-figure salaries, bringing the total strength and conditioning staff budget to $1 million.
UK spent just less than $890,000 on four strength coaches last season with director of performance Corey Edmond ($315,000) and head strength coach Mark Hill ($310,000) accounting for the bulk of that budget.
This story was originally published February 11, 2026 at 2:26 PM.