Will Stein, UK football could be nearing first blue chip high school QB commit
Of all the questions still to be answered about the Will Stein era of Kentucky football, quarterback development should not be one of them.
Stein proved to be an elite quarterback coach at Oregon with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore all thriving in his offense. UK offensive coordinator Joe Sloan coached Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and LSU.
So, it should come as no surprise that the new staff has already positioned Kentucky as a contender for multiple top quarterbacks in the high school class of 2027.
A commitment could be coming soon with dominoes in the high school quarterback market starting to fall.
“I do like where we’re at currently with that class,” Stein said after UK’s spring scrimmage Saturday. “We’ve had some elite players come through here. And not just quarterback wise, but all positions. Now it’s our job to close.”
One of the options, four-star Illinois prep quarterback Israel Abrams, listed Kentucky as one of his five finalists but committed to Miami Friday. Stein and company received some buzz in the pursuit of five-star Louisiana-prep quarterback Elijah Haven, the consensus No. 1 quarterback in the class, after being hired by Kentucky, but he did not list UK as a contender for his commitment in a recent interview with 247Sports. Four-star Ole Miss quarterback pledge Keegan Croucher appears to have backed off announced plans to visit Kentucky this spring.
Meanwhile, four-star Tennessee prep quarterback Andre Adams visited Kentucky for the third time since the new staff was hired over the weekend in advance of his planned commitment Saturday.
“This weekend, we have a star-studded cast here,” Stein said. “...Got really good quarterbacks come through here. So, one thing I’m not going to do is beg and plead. I’m not going to get on my hands and knees and say, ‘Please come to Kentucky.’ No, they better want to be here. They better want to play for the blue and the white. They better want to play in Kroger field.”
Adams also visited Colorado last week. Virginia Tech, Oregon, Florida State and Mississippi State are his other finalists.
The 247Sports Composite ranks Adams as the No. 15-ranked quarterback in the class. He could follow current UK QB Kenny Minchey to Lexington, giving the new staff a pipeline of quarterbacks from the greater Nashville area.
But even if Adams commits to Kentucky Saturday, the staff’s 2027 quarterback pursuit might not be finished.
“It’s hard because there’s not anything going on in college football besides recruiting right now and spring ball, obviously, so there’s always buzz,” Stein said. “The best way I’ve recruited is on Saturdays and showing a great product on the field. You’re not going to win or lose recruiting right now, but it does build momentum towards the future in the class. Kids are making earlier decisions now going into official visits.”
Four-star Illinois prep quarterback Jake Nawrot, the No. 2 quarterback in the class according to the 247Sports Composite, and four-star Texas prep quarterback Colton Nussmeier have also visited Lexington since the new staff was hired.
Nussmeier, the younger brother of current NFL draft prospect Garrett Nussmeier and son of New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, appears to be further from a commitment than other quarterbacks in play as he works his way back from a knee injury that ended his junior season early. Kentucky has a close connection to him because Sloan coached Garrett at LSU before LSU fired Sloan and head coach Brian Kelly during the 2025 season.
“That’s my guy,” Garrett told the Herald-Leader when asked about Sloan at the NFL combine. “Very, very close with Coach Sloan. … Somebody who I have a very special relationship with. I think he’s a very good coach. People were quick to put the blame on him (at LSU). The blame first goes to the head coach, then it goes to the offensive coordinator, then goes to the quarterback, right? There were so many things that went wrong that were almost out of everyone’s control. Things just didn’t go our way this year, and it wasn’t Coach Sloan’s fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault.
“I believe in Coach Sloan as a coach. He’s an unbelievable football coach. Obviously, he connects the players very well. He’s very personable. He’ll get to know the guys. He’s quick to get on them. If you’ve ever been to an LSU practice, you heard me getting ripped the most. That’s how I like to be coached. That’s how he coached me, and I know that’s kind of who he is.”
Stein did not speculate on whether Kentucky could take multiple quarterbacks in the class when asked by the Herald-Leader Saturday, but the staff might need two depending on what happens between now and signing day in December.
Class of 2026 four-star quarterback signee Matt Ponatoski is projected as a possible early round selection in the Major League Baseball draft in July. He has held firm in plans to play both football and baseball in college, but until the draft signing deadline passes there remains a risk he will sign a professional baseball contract and never make it to Kentucky.
Minchey has two seasons of eligibility left but boasts the type of physical tools that could make him a 2027 NFL draft prospect with a breakout season as UK’s starter this fall. That scenario would almost certainly put UK in the market for another transfer quarterback next winter, but signing multiple high school quarterbacks could help ease depth concerns.
Of course, in the era of revenue sharing and NIL contracts, Stein and general manager Pat Biondo will have to decide how much of the roster budget can be allocated for projected backup quarterbacks. Former UK coach Mark Stoops essentially abandoned the search for top high school talent in his final season in order to allocate as much of the available roster budget to retaining current players and attracting instant impact transfers as possible.
Stein has insisted Kentucky has plenty of resources to build the type of roster he wants since being hired, though.
“We have a great product,” he said. “We have every resource that we need right now to go through an elite 27 class. We were building the relationships. And why wouldn’t you want to play in this offense? Why wouldn’t you want to play for me and for Joe Sloan?
“I mean talking about (coaches) that have taken (quarterbacks) to New York recently. Not 25 years ago, right now. I’ve had elite quarterback play, and guys have translated to great play in the National Football League. So, these players know that. They’re coming out on campus, and I feel like we are in a really strong position with a handful of these guys.”