The Kentucky Wildcats know how to win on the basketball court. Kentucky’s basketball program has eight championships under its belt.
It’s not the same for football in Lexington, though. Mark Stoops kept the Wildcats competitive from 2013 to 2025, but the football program’s only national championship came in 1950 under Bear Bryant.
That’s a long time ago.
The powers that be at Kentucky brought in Will Stein to replace Stoops because they believe he can recruit a winner, though. Stein spent multiple years as the offensive coordinator under Dan Lanning with the Oregon Ducks. He also played quarterback at the college level himself — at Louisville, of all places.
Success at Kentucky in the NIL and transfer portal era will look a lot like success at Indiana, which just won it all. Stein will have to knock it out of the park on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, and it’s worth noting that he’s building a class that looks really nice on the 2027 recruiting trail.
On Monday, three-star offensive lineman Reed Gerken committed to the Wildcats over Wisconsin, Virginia Tech and Illinois. He’s the 22nd commitment to Stein’s 2027 class.
There’s still a long time to go, but it’s a class that’s currently ranked No. 10 in the country.
That’s a huge deal for the Wildcats.
