Will Stein and Mark Pope are slowly turning Kentucky into a football school

Jun 11, 2012
15,210
15,948
113
Not wrong. I am actually excited for FB for the first time in a while and I haven’t been excited for basketball since Cal's last season started.

I am really excited for football season. Basketball, not so much.

It seems crazy a former uofl player has generated so much excitement for football as a coach and a former UK player has generated some much negativity about basketball as coach.

Let that sink in.
 

BBN-N-WI

Junior
Apr 11, 2024
109
211
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I don’t know how to paste links or anything but if you go to Fox News, scroll down a ways you’ll find an article about the Indianapolis owner calling Seth McGowan during the draft and asking him if he is ready to prove everyone **** wrong. Nice publicity. Or maybe someone already did and I missed it. That’s possible too.
 

FilsonCat

All-Conference
Apr 5, 2007
3,459
4,189
113
Hype, hype, hype. Stein has won nothing. I want to see results!
That's gonna be a tough row with this schedule. But keep stacking talent and building, and we'll see how it shakes out. I will be shocked if he comes in year one and makes noise. What I want to see is progress and setting the culture.

Can we run a 2 minute drill to end the half? How do we play on special teams? Do we come prepared every game and fight in the trenches, win or lose? Do we make adjustments in-game and become less predictable? Those would be the type of culture shifting changes I would hope to see us make.
 

KyWilson239

Junior
Jan 17, 2016
103
210
43
BBN is passionate about all their sports. If/when Stein puts a competitive product on the field, our fans will eat it up. Not to mention, he and his staff are young and passionate, which connects with the fans. Our fanbase can more than support 2 championship level sports teams, so the whole "Basketball is King" thing is kind of played out now. Look at IU, they're a football school now.
 

ChocoChicken

All-Conference
Apr 6, 2026
388
1,119
93
Will Stein is the kind of young coach that can bring excitement to a football program. Especially in this era. Loser Mitch had zero responsibility in bringing him in either.
That’s why I want Jai Lucas. I think he could inject a similar kind of excitement into the basketball program. He’s young, a great recruiter and seems to be showing himself to be a pretty good coach to boot.
 

RunninRichie

Heisman
Sep 5, 2019
28,935
69,605
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That’s why I want Jai Lucas. I think he could inject a similar kind of excitement into the basketball program. He’s young, a great recruiter and seems to be showing himself to be a pretty good coach to boot.
He should be the next hire, tbh. We need to go young. We need new ideas, sick of this 1996 nostalgia BS. It's 2026.
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
39,109
61,422
113
He should be the next hire, tbh. We need to go young. We need new ideas, sick of this 1996 nostalgia BS. It's 2026.

Jai Lucas kind of burned us once. Im a little weary on his loyalty, and I wonder if he isnt keeping an eye on the Duke job if Scheyer continues to fail getting to home after starting on 3rd base, year after year.

But I agree otherwise. Go get a young upstart coach, even if its a little unknown and risky. Same exact situation with Stein. Because if you land that next coach, you could be sitting pretty for decades.
 

RunninRichie

Heisman
Sep 5, 2019
28,935
69,605
113
Jai Lucas kind of burned us once. Im a little weary on his loyalty, and I wonder if he isnt keeping an eye on the Duke job if Scheyer continues to fail getting to home after starting on 3rd base, year after year.

But I agree otherwise. Go get a young upstart coach, even if it’s a little unknown and risky. Same exact situation with Stein. Because if you land that next coach, you could be sitting pretty for decades.
He left because he suggested Calipari should adapt, and stop being stubborn. Young innovative coach, stuck to a dinosaur. Id leave too.
 

JASUN74

All-American
May 22, 2008
3,611
5,242
73
Hype, hype, hype. Stein has won nothing. I want to see results!
Hype is at least something. I understand what you’re saying but not much excitement going on elsewhere. The kids Will and this Staff is getting and going after is unheard of here and they have the country talking. All the Rival experts, all the biggest talking heads are talking about Kentucky Football right now. Most of all the Kids and Parents are taking notice. You’re right, that doesn’t win anything, but it 100% leads to a lot of future wins and recruiting success. I want both programs to be the best in the country, but our basketball team is supposed to be. This is awesome stuff happening right now. Football wise I mean.
 

Monday Nitro

All-American
Jul 3, 2025
4,587
7,610
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Jai Lucas kind of burned us once. Im a little weary on his loyalty, and I wonder if he isnt keeping an eye on the Duke job if Scheyer continues to fail getting to home after starting on 3rd base, year after year.

But I agree otherwise. Go get a young upstart coach, even if its a little unknown and risky. Same exact situation with Stein. Because if you land that next coach, you could be sitting pretty for decades.
Lucas is a shameless climber. Texas, UK and Duke in short order.
 

ChocoChicken

All-Conference
Apr 6, 2026
388
1,119
93
Jai Lucas kind of burned us once. Im a little weary on his loyalty, and I wonder if he isnt keeping an eye on the Duke job if Scheyer continues to fail getting to home after starting on 3rd base, year after year.

But I agree otherwise. Go get a young upstart coach, even if its a little unknown and risky. Same exact situation with Stein. Because if you land that next coach, you could be sitting pretty for decades.
Like someone else mentioned: he burned Cal, not Kentucky. We would be giving him the keys to make Kentucky like how he wants, not how Cal was pushing to keep the old ways.
 

Monday Nitro

All-American
Jul 3, 2025
4,587
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Lucas is a shameless climber. Texas, UK and Duke in short order.
I guess little running bitchie gave up on Oats as "the only answer". Now he's in to Lucas. Or is it Golden? I lost track like all the aliases he uses in between bad news. Then he sets up camp with his runninbichie alias like he has since last night. What a little pissant.
 

UKJenning

All-Conference
Mar 27, 2022
889
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CB3UK

Hall of Famer
Apr 15, 2012
63,973
106,288
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Well hell yeah Stein is reigniting the football team, landing hosses like this:




So tired of the dumbass football v basketball debate. We all want both to win. I'm a baseball fan too, so throw Mingione in there as well. None of them win at the expense of the other, and that's never been the case. We've just poorly managed things over the years. All of them can be successful with the right leadership and investment.
 

JASUN74

All-American
May 22, 2008
3,611
5,242
73
Only 2 fb UK coach since Bear have left UK with a winning record--Blanton Collier(41-36), stoops(82-80).
More than 70 years.

john ray--whiz get from notre dame championship team of 1966--worse than most, absolutely pitiful(10-33).

bill curry, off a 10-2 season at bama--as pathetic as all the rest(26-52).


rr
It’s a new day. We’re not going to be the best team in the country every year or maybe ever, but with the NIL , anyone willing to pay big money to play the game has a chance. Having a bunch of young, hungry, talented recruiting Madmen, and Being in the SEC, we have a good chance to build a powerhouse program. This staff may part ways next season, if not and they stay together a few years, it’s going to be fun to see it turnaround. Honestly, something we can enjoy watching and be proud of would be enough for me.
 

Chadrock

All-Conference
Jul 12, 2004
3,037
2,028
103
I wish they wouldn’t say it like that, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Thing is if we have a great football team and win big games, we Have all the money we could need for football and basketball.
Unfortunately, you will still have the "basketball superiority at all costs" only club and they will continue to share illogical lunacy here on a daily basis.

Now that buying players is legal, you will see programs like UK football rise up into parity levels and the same goes for bball teams routinely under the UK thumb. It is sad that UK chose to invest in bball and not the cash cow football program - I mean, how effing stupid can an administration be?
 

Chadrock

All-Conference
Jul 12, 2004
3,037
2,028
103
Only 2 fb UK coach since Bear have left UK with a winning record--Blanton Collier(41-36), stoops(82-80).
More than 70 years.

john ray--whiz get from notre dame championship team of 1966--worse than most, absolutely pitiful(10-33).

bill curry, off a 10-2 season at bama--as pathetic as all the rest(26-52).


rr
But just imagine if those administrations shared the "win at all costs mentality" with football as they did with bball?
 
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RedwoodHigh

All-Conference
Nov 18, 2025
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Ky Football has a brutal schedule. Very satisfied with a bowl game in first year.
Ky Football- WBB - Volleyball- Tennis all prove it’s not the school that has bad reputation.
The Men’s Basketball team has a problem with perception & reality. I like the no-star team that’s been assembled.Going to be fun to watch them come together & competing for playing time.
 
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