Why Will Stein’s first Kentucky football game won’t be shown on a TV network
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Youngstown State game will stream on SEC Network+ at 1 p.m. on Sept. 5.
- Stein’s first two SEC games are scheduled at 3:30 p.m. against Alabama and Texas A&M.
- Anyone with a cable or live TV streaming package including SEC Network can access the.
Kickoff times are set for the first three games of the Will Stein era of Kentucky football.
UK will open the 2026 season at 1 p.m. Sept. 5 in Kroger Field against Youngstown State. Stein’s first two SEC games (versus Alabama on Sept. 12, at Texas A&M on Sept. 19) will kick off at 3:30 p.m.
Fans will not be able to watch Stein’s first game on a traditional television broadcast. The Youngstown State game will be streamed on SEC Network+. Anyone with a cable or live TV streaming package that includes the SEC Network will have access to the online stream of that game.
Every SEC team plays one home game on SEC Network+. FCS matchups have traditionally been slotted for that broadcast, but at least two other schools will follow a different plan this year. Missouri’s season opener against FCS Arkansas Pine-Bluff — a Thursday night game that will kick off the SEC season — will air on the SEC Network while the Tigers’ week three game against Troy will be streamed on the SEC Network+. Arkansas’s opener against FCS North Alabama will also air on the SEC Network, meaning one of the Razorback’s nonconference games later in the season will be streamed online only.
The Alabama game will be televised by ABC. The Texas A&M game will air on ESPN or ESPN2.
Opening with Youngstown State gives Stein a chance to ease into his first head coaching job against an FCS opponent, but his first two SEC games are against teams that made the 2025 College Football Playoff.
Kickoff windows for the remaining games will be announced in June.
This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 3:23 PM.