Before his first game, Will Stein has already made a choice Mark Stoops never did
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- Transfer QB Kenny Minchey will be one of three Kentucky representatives at SEC Media Days.
- In 13 seasons, Mark Stoops never brought an incoming transfer to SEC Media Days.
- Will Stein’s decision signals Kentucky intends to showcase its offense and Minchey.
The list of concrete changes in the Kentucky football program continues to grow.
The latest sign of the difference in the Will Stein and Mark Stoops eras came Tuesday with the announcement of the three players that would represent UK at SEC Media Days: safety Ty Bryant, tight end Willie Rodriguez and quarterback Kenny Minchey.
Had Stoops remained as coach (and both players elected not to transfer) it would have been easy to imagine him picking Bryant and Rodriguez as representatives. Bryant is a senior leader who tied for the SEC lead in interceptions last season. Rodriguez is one of the best NFL draft prospects on the team and a homegrown star.
It is unlikely that former Notre Dame quarterback Minchey would be a Wildcat if Stoops were still the coach — he has pointed to the track record of Stein and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan in developing QBs as the reason he flipped his transfer commitment from Nebraska to UK in January — but even if he were, Stoops almost certainly would have left him in Lexington for SEC Media Days.
In 13 years as Kentucky’s coach, Stoops never brought an incoming transfer to SEC Media Days. He brought a quarterback just twice (Will Levis in 2022 and Stephen Johnson in 2017).
Stein is in a different position than Stoops since he is new to the program himself, but his willingness to promote Minchey as one of the faces of the 2026 team sends a clear message.
“I’ve just been really impressed with his process, with his love for the game,” Stein said of Minchey during spring practice. “The best guys I’ve been around truly love it, and he’s up at the facility as much as the coaches. He’s invested in this team. He is a great team guy.”
It made sense for Stoops not to bring Levis in his first year at UK in 2021 since the staff did not officially name him the starter until preseason camp, but even when Kentucky signed quarterback transfers Devin Leary (2023) and Brock Vandagriff (2024) as its clear starters, Stoops declined to bring them to SEC Media Days.
The same was true when Kentucky signed elite transfers like Wan’Dale Robinson, Ray Davis and Jamon Dumas-Johnson at other positions. Even though they were clearly poised to star for Kentucky in the fall, they did not accompany Stoops to the league’s annual preseason showcase.
Minchey does not even fit that mold of transfer. He does not have a proven track record of college performance. He did not start a game in three college seasons at Notre Dame.
But Stein landed the Kentucky job in large part due to his ability to develop elite quarterbacks. It makes sense for him to showcase the latest player in the pipeline that included Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore while he was Oregon offensive coordinator.
Any 36-year-old, first-time head coach has plenty to prove, but if there is an area where Stein deserves the benefit of the doubt it is in quarterback evaluation and development. It is difficult to imagine a scenario where Kentucky is good in Stein’s first season without Minchey leading the way.
By picking Minchey to represent the team at SEC Media Days in Tampa next week, Stein is acknowledging that reality.
There will be no attempts to point the attention elsewhere. The most noteworthy player on the roster will be in attendance. This is now a program that wants to be known for its offense, not hope that it is simply good enough.
Bringing Minchey to SEC Media days does not guarantee he will live up to his transfer portal hype, but leaving quarterbacks home so they wouldn’t have to answer to that pressure rarely translated into better play for Stoops.
It’s a new era for Kentucky football, and Stein appears ready to show it off for a larger audience.