Stats may not have been real, but emotions were for Will Stein in UK spring game
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Will Stein became emotional running out of the tunnel during Kentucky’s spring game.
- The scrimmage ended early due to storms; half the stadium was closed for construction.
- Coaches limited contact and play calls to avoid injuries and revealing schemes.
The most telling moment in Saturday’s Kentucky football spring game happened before the first play was blown live.
It had nothing to do with new quarterback Kenny Minchey’s accuracy or defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s aggressive scheme. It did not concern the outcome of a convoluted scoring system that pitted the offense against the defense.
“I got emotional running out of the tunnel,” UK coach Will Stein said. “I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely felt it. It was, like, a lot, like a wave running over me.”
There are more firsts coming for Stein as Kentucky’s coach.
His first trip to SEC Media Days will come in July. His first game is set for Sept. 5. His first SEC game is a week later against powerhouse Alabama.
But Saturday marked the first time he ran out of the tunnel leading his own program with fans in the stands.
Half the stadium was closed off due to construction, and the threat of storms — which eventually ended the scrimmage early — made it uncertain if the event would even happen until shortly before the 11 a.m. kickoff. This was far from the environment Stein can expect to see in Kroger Field for a big game this fall.
But for the 36-year-old coach who grew up sitting in the Commonwealth Stadiums rooting for the Wildcats, the moment still warranted emotion.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Stein said. “I mean, I’ve never ran out of that tunnel like that, so that was really cool and unique. Just when the fight song plays, just like it literally got me emotional. It was just a really cool moment for me.”
What happened next will probably not linger long in the minds of anyone in attendance.
Fans expecting immediate offensive fireworks due to Stein’s track record running video game-like offenses at Oregon and UTSA might have been disappointed with a fairly pedestrian half of football, but the projected starting left tackle, top two running backs and top four wide receivers were either held out of action completely or playing in black no-contact jerseys. The defense was down two projected starters, too, and both coordinators were under strict instructions to keep the calls as vanilla as possible just in case any rival coaches looking for an early scouting edge were sitting in the stands.
There were at least a few highlights, like the wide receiver reverse pass from Shane Carr to Kenny Darby for a touchdown or a handful of impressive pass rushes that might have resulted in big hits on the quarterback if they had been allowed to be tackled.
But the No. 1 goal Saturday was to emerge without any injuries.
“I wouldn’t even say I really learned too much (in the scrimmage),” senior safety Ty Bryant said. “It’s just a lot of things were just confirmed. We’ve got a really great offense that can move the ball down the field. We’ve got a defense that’s a bend-but-don’t-break defense, and we’re gonna keep people out of the end zone.
“We got a great fan base. Obviously, we had a lot of people show up today, and it was supposed to rain. They knew that, and they still showed up for us, so that was amazing.”
Certainly nothing that happened over the course of 15 spring practices did anything to dull the excitement building in the program since Stein was hired less than 24 hours after all-time-winningest coach Mark Stoops was fired in December.
The new staff picked up its third four-star high school commitment in a week shortly before the game, from Ohio prep safety Tristin Hughes. The increased energy around the program — observers of practice have almost universally commented on it — was on display from players and fans Saturday.
Stein made sure to introduce his new team to the constant parade of former Kentucky stars stopping by the facility to watch practice this spring in hopes of conveying the pride for the program he already felt. It was that connection that led to the emotions before an otherwise meaningless spring scrimmage.
As for the lack of fireworks that followed, Stein said he was not worried.
“When I first got to Oregon, we had (quarterback) Bo Nix, we had a bunch of NFL players, and I felt like I couldn’t get a first down,” he said. “I was like, ‘God dang, are we going to be good?’ And we had the No. 2 offense in the country.
“I’m not saying that is where we are right now, but spring ball, the way that we do things, sometimes it can be like, ‘Are we good?’ No, we’re good. We have a great system. We have really good players, and that’s what these next four months are for, going into fall.”