Big Blue Nation has eagerly embraced the start of the Will Stein era, quickly welcoming the first-year head coach into the program with open arms.

But let’s call it how it is: before Stein has even had a chance to take the sidelines in Kroger Field, the approach of his inaugural season has been constantly overshadowed by how difficult a schedule the Wildcats have on the horizon.

To be fair, no one is wrong in that regard, as UK is set to weather the fourth-toughest schedule in the nation, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. But what’s the fun part about watching sports? Believing.

As the official — on-field portion — of the Stein era quickly approaches, here are three reasons to be fired up and optimistic before the 2026 campaign kicks off on Sept. 5.

Rejuvenated O-Line

The ‘Big Blue Wall’ is officially back and gaining national attention.

Stein and his staff were able to reel in seven new offensive linemen during the offseason, three of whom were rated four-star transfers by 247Sports.

Lance Heard (Tennessee transfer), Coleton Price (Baylor transfer) and Tegra Tshabola (Ohio State transfer) are the three four-star additions, while Olaus Alinen (3-star Alabama transfer), Mark Robinson (3-star UTEP transfer), Max Anderson (3-star Tennessee transfer) and Jordan Knox (3-star JUCO transfer) are the other new pieces who will help out with depth.

Heard, who has played three collegiate seasons, the last two with Tennessee and one with LSU as a freshman, has only given up three sacks throughout his entire career. The 6-foot-6 Louisiana native brings a ton of experience, seeing action on 1,780 offensive snaps throughout his career.

Price had a strong junior season with Baylor, only allowing one sack on 526 pass block snaps. The 6-foot-3 Texas native was named to the All-Big 12 Offensive Lineman Second Team by PFSN College.

Tshabola brings national championship experience after reaching the peak of college football with Ohio State back in 2025. The 6-foot-6 Ohio native was ranked second among offensive linemen with 781 snaps from scrimmages during that 2024-25 season.

Offensive Weapons

Separate from the offensive line, UK’s offense looks completely different this season, and again, kudos to Stein’s transfer portal work.

The three arguably biggest transfers the Cats are welcoming are Notre Dame quarterback transfer Kenny Minchey, Texas running back transfer CJ Baxter and LSU wide receiver transfer Nic Anderson.

Minchey comes to UK after backing up CJ Carr at Notre Dame; however, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman had some high praise for Minchey.

“I think they’re both (Minchey and Carr) capable of being the starting quarterback at Notre Dame, or they wouldn’t be in this quarterback battle,” Freeman said prior to appointing Carr as the starter ahead of the 2025 season.

Minchey did see the field slightly, though, completing 20-of-26 passes for 196 yards over the course of five games where he came off the bench.

Moving to Baxter, an ascending junior, he has battled some injuries throughout his career; however, when he is healthy, he brings an electrifying play style to the table. He also brings a special level of experience, playing in the 2024 College Football Playoff against Washington, back when it was a four-team format.

The Floridian has played 22 career games and has totaled 148 rushes for 699 yards and five touchdowns. He has one career 100-plus-yard game, which came in Texas’ 26-16 win over the Iowa State Cyclones back in 2023.

Finally, we have Anderson, who spent three years as an Oklahoma Sooner before transferring to LSU ahead of the 2025 season.

The bulk of the excitement with Anderson stems from his redshirt freshman campaign at Oklahoma, where he totaled 798 receiving yards while accumulating 10 touchdowns, showing a glimpse into the type of dynamic receiver that he is.

In 2024, Anderson missed most of the season with an injury, and in 2025 at LSU, he saw action in 10 games where he had 12 receptions for 106 yards and two scores.

Returning Studs

While navigating the portal, Stein still kept some former Cats on this upcoming season’s roster as well, and some of the biggest names include safety Ty Bryant, defensive end Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace and tight end Willie Rodriguez.

Bryant is projected to have a big senior season after starting at safety and producing in all 12 of UK’s battles last season. The homegrown Lexington native recorded 76 total tackles and four interceptions, both of which were the highest amounts on the team.

As for Humphrey-Grace, he is another defensive stud who is expected to take off this season. The Ohio native spent three years at South Dakota before making his way to Lexington prior to the start of last season.

Through 12 games this past season, Humphrey-Grace had 31 tackles, a team-high 7.5 TFL, a team-high tying 3.5 sacks with Steven Soles, a team-best six QBHs and two PBUs, along with a forced fumble.

At South Dakota, Humphrey-Grace was named the 2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Missouri Valley in tackles for loss with 17 and sacks with 9.5.

Last up, we have Rodriguez, a Covington, Kentucky native.

The 6-foot-4 tight end started in seven of the 12 games he played in last season and produced 310 yards following 23 catches. He scored one touchdown against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 13 but is expected to see many more touchdown-caliber opportunities this season.

Will Stein and the Wildcats officially kick off the new era of Kentucky football on Sept. 5 when they host the Youngstown State Penguins inside Kroger Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and can be viewed on SEC Network+.

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