At this pace, how long can we expect to keep Stein?

TTTblue24

All-Conference
Feb 1, 2004
3,923
2,870
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I know he loves uk and I really hope he doesn’t move on but we have to prepare for it. I would think some nfl and some blue blood college programs will come calling like Michigan for one.
I don’t see him leaving for another SEC school but someone like a notre dame I could see if they were to come calling. Going to enjoy the ride as long as I can though!!
 
Oct 13, 2025
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I think it's highly unlikely Stein leaves. NFL coaches get so little leash. Head coach one year, unemployed the next. Probably would take a historically Top 5 college program to pull Stein from UK and a contract offer with a huge check and lot of guarantees. Even at that, those types of programs would want to see Stein string together two or three really good years at UK before making that call.
 

Im The Village Idiot

All-American
Sep 7, 2025
2,721
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I know he loves uk and I really hope he doesn’t move on but we have to prepare for it. I would think some nfl and some blue blood college programs will come calling like Michigan for one.
I don’t see him leaving for another SEC school but someone like a notre dame I could see if they were to come calling. Going to enjoy the ride as long as I can though!!
Five years ago, a Stein is as good as gone. But things have changed. You can win anywhere and most coaches aren’t chomping at the bit to leave a school set up to win and grow organically for one with pressure cooker expectations. That works to our advantage in football and to our disadvantage in basketball. I think Stein is very likely to be a Cat unless he gets an NFL job — and you only get one of those if you’re ELITE of the elite. I could be wrong. Heck, usually am lol.
 

TTTblue24

All-Conference
Feb 1, 2004
3,923
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How about we just live in the moment and let tomorrow take care of itself??
Sorry for asking a question for discussion on a message board, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Thanks for your insight as well, extremely informative btw.

Pay absolutely no attention to the last line of my explanation as well, I don’t think anytime soon but I could see in 2-3 yrs someone like a Michigan wanting to talk to him.
 
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Snarks

All-American
Jan 31, 2005
8,679
7,367
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Why is this the first thing everyone worries about? I think Stein will be here for a long time. I’m all about paying him but we can’t have a coach hold a program hostage with their contract like Stoops did.
 
Aug 23, 2024
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No coach deserves a lifetime contract.
Stoops did not have one. That is just an exaggeration many have treated as factual. It was a long contract with performance goals that would have let him coach here as long as he wanted providing those goals were met. At the point it was signed he was coming off his second 10 win season in 4 years was 4-0 and we were ranked #7.
 
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JASUN74

All-American
May 22, 2008
3,865
5,745
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I know he loves uk and I really hope he doesn’t move on but we have to prepare for it. I would think some nfl and some blue blood college programs will come calling like Michigan for one.
I don’t see him leaving for another SEC school but someone like a notre dame I could see if they were to come calling. Going to enjoy the ride as long as I can though!!
Sorry but NO. WILL Stein loves Kentucky Football and has since birth, he can have just as much power, Money here than any other Job in the world. NFL OR NCAA. This is his Dream job and not a stepping stone like a lot of coaches so he’s here as long as the we’ll have him. I understand the sentiment being we had Cal and Stoops try to use us to get more money almost every year seems like, but Will is one of us and can have a HALL OF FAME career here just as he could at literally any other School in the country.
 

wildcatdon

Heisman
Oct 17, 2012
10,644
13,662
113
I know he loves uk and I really hope he doesn’t move on but we have to prepare for it. I would think some nfl and some blue blood college programs will come calling like Michigan for one.
I don’t see him leaving for another SEC school but someone like a notre dame I could see if they were to come calling. Going to enjoy the ride as long as I can though!!
Here we go again. Unreal. This isnt even worth discussing. You teenagers ought to have your own site.
 

Get_over_it

Junior
Sep 23, 2026
188
244
43
You say that now. If the dude has the kind of success he looks primed for and then asks for a lifetime contract and then we say NO and he goes to Bama, everyone will want to fire the AD.
Or he has some success we give him a lifetime contract and a few years later we start having losing seasons or finishing 6-6 and we are stuck with him like we were with Calipari.
 
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Jtf2217

All-Conference
Apr 20, 2024
1,015
1,987
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Why not forever. Stoops was one of the top paid coaches in all of CFB. If CWS continues on this trajectory money isn't going to be a issue, NIL funding is about to go 📈📈📈📈 in the SEC. If Will really loves this place like that what reason would there be to leave.

Kentucky is the perfect job. SEC money and for the most part slightly below SEC expectations. Right now this second WS will be getting a extension at the end of the year 100% chance. If things shake out and somehow actually end up in the playoffs year one the place will be named after him one day. .

LSU already wants Lane gone, A&M is probably gonna can their guy, UT better get it rolling before they start getting mad at Josh ... Bama wanted DeBoer fired, Auburn probably wants their guy gone, Floridas honeymoon with sumrall came crashing down now he's billy napier 2.0...South carolina wanted beamer gone badly. With top flight pay here there's no reason to go to mess and expectations like that. That a ego move which I don't think Will will just be out for that especially with the links to here.

You can get players anywhere and this year will prove that actually yeah... Everyone wants to play for Will Stien now that they've seen the results prove themselves on the field.
 
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Catzman

Heisman
Apr 29, 2002
17,477
14,585
113
Have the feeling he wants to be here for the long haul.
Agree with you, Smooth. KY is in his heart and mind, and has been from the day he was born. No amount of $ can change that. It would for most coaches, but CWS is a one of a kind. He takes the road less traveled in Kentucky football history, and that to him and his family will make all the difference. It will also make all the difference to most of BBN!
 
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tls

Heisman
Nov 7, 2007
7,881
14,483
81
Sorry for asking a question for discussion on a message board, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Thanks for your insight as well, extremely informative btw.

Pay absolutely no attention to the last line of my explanation as well, I don’t think anytime soon but I could see in 2-3 yrs someone like a Michigan wanting to talk to him.
He's been here 6 games .. there needs to be ZERO discussion about his leaving
 

K_TIME

Heisman
Jan 2, 2003
18,457
25,883
113
Stoops did not have one. That is just an exaggeration many have treated as factual. It was a long contract with performance goals that would have let him coach here as long as he wanted providing those goals were met. At the point it was signed he was coming off his second 10 win season in 4 years was 4-0 and we were ranked #7.
It was a 10 year contract../which is and was absurd. Five years at a time is more than enough time….i didn’t have a problem with paying stoops right below Saban and Kirby money….i can see a world where overpay st UK ..//but the years beyond five years was Mitch nonsense. And when Stoops tried to leave for Texas am and we kept the terms…just unreal and lazy as Mitch didn’t want to look for a replacement

As far as Stein….dad played at Ky…was in stands to watch Ky as a kid with his father…family lives in Louisville and has little kids….i think he sticks around for a while as long as we invest in program reasonable
 

Catzman

Heisman
Apr 29, 2002
17,477
14,585
113
While I absolutely love being 5-1 my lord we are halfway through season 1 here. We were two plays away from being 3-3.

Aren't we jumping the gun quite a bit.
Maybe we are jumping the gun a bit, but that is what hope does for a fan base. Thanks to CWS we can believe again! Saying this, it is very possible that we lose 3-4 games out of the next 6. But we have already exceeded everyone's expectations for the most part. In the LSU game after we missed the 2nd fg, I reverted back to my previous 10 year mindset-"here we go again, close but no cigar!", but then I thought, no, CWS has a different culture and mindset. At once, I thought even with only 97 seconds to play and no timeouts, I believed that the Cats could still win. Minchey and the team NEVER gave up! They surprised the hell out of LK and the LSU Tigers by tying and then winning in overtime! This such a fun team and coaching staff to support! I would have been there, but a kidney stone grounded me in Tampa, FL. Go BBN!!
 
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ulrey

Heisman
Feb 8, 2008
25,781
37,241
61
Do you think Cignetti will leave Indiana? I don't. I think we will keep Stein for a long time because in the new era you can win big at any SEC/BIG school and being at a blue blood is just an unnecessary extra layer of expectations and obnoxious fans.
13.5 million a year is what Cignetti is paid..
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
47,989
88,089
113
You say that now. If the dude has the kind of success he looks primed for and then asks for a lifetime contract and then we say NO and he goes to Bama, everyone will want to fire the AD.
No lifetime deals, but we should give him a contract that will keep him here long term no questions asked. Maybe 6 year increments or something like that. 5 guaranteed at high pay, guarantees for staff, a budget that competes in the SEC.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
47,989
88,089
113
Stoops did not have one. That is just an exaggeration many have treated as factual. It was a long contract with performance goals that would have let him coach here as long as he wanted providing those goals were met. At the point it was signed he was coming off his second 10 win season in 4 years was 4-0 and we were ranked #7.
My how the wheels fell off after that was signed. It sucks because we were rolling then. I think the SEC East being in such flux made his tenure look a little better than it was though. His overall SEC record showed what kind of coach he really was imho. Solid for us no doubt, but not a Real threat. I will forever be thankful for Rich Brooks and Stoops. They both elevated our traditionally weak program to places that we had a lot of fun some years. Close calls for major bowl games as well.
 

Catzman

Heisman
Apr 29, 2002
17,477
14,585
113
No lifetime deals, but we should give him a contract that will keep him here long term no questions asked. Maybe 6 year increments or something like that. 5 guaranteed at high pay, guarantees for staff, a budget that competes in the SEC.
I 2nd your opinion Fox.
 
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FunkyFatCan

Junior
Apr 29, 2009
94
223
33
I know he loves uk and I really hope he doesn’t move on but we have to prepare for it. I would think some nfl and some blue blood college programs will come calling like Michigan for one.
I don’t see him leaving for another SEC school but someone like a notre dame I could see if they were to come calling. Going to enjoy the ride as long as I can though!!
sometimes i hate that whole 'freedom of speech' thing
 

BC_Wader

All-American
Aug 13, 2021
5,229
9,926
113
I know he loves uk and I really hope he doesn’t move on but we have to prepare for it. I would think some nfl and some blue blood college programs will come calling like Michigan for one.
I don’t see him leaving for another SEC school but someone like a notre dame I could see if they were to come calling. Going to enjoy the ride as long as I can though!!
Why even this talk right now? He isn't going anywhere anytime soon. My first firm memories of Kentucky football was the early Claiborne teams. Through all those years, Stein is the only one that I can say without a shred of doubt is THE one we have been wanting/looking for. The one to take us to levels we haven't seen before. Bleeding blue his whole life has got to stand for something. He's in it for the long haul I believe.
 

JakeKx

All-Conference
Oct 5, 2023
1,279
2,454
112
Some of you all are miserable people. Why would this even be on your mind right now?
First of all he has coached a total of 6 college football games. He may lose out the rest of the year, you never know. Second he’s not some foreigner, he obviously always wanted this job and wants to be here. Second, UK hasn’t given any indication they won’t fully support him both in salary and NIL when it comes to money. We overpaid that fat lard stoops and idk if he was a top 100 coach in the country.
Third, let’s not get ahead of ourselves and overpay until he wins something. Stoops never even made a sec title game and yet we paid him a top 10 salary. Stein should be paid market value when his contract is due again. No more and no less.
 

@BigBlueFanGA

Junior
Jul 6, 2025
207
218
43
I know he loves uk and I really hope he doesn’t move on but we have to prepare for it. I would think some nfl and some blue blood college programs will come calling like Michigan for one.
I don’t see him leaving for another SEC school but someone like a notre dame I could see if they were to come calling. Going to enjoy the ride as long as I can though!!
Many of the old metrics are gone with transfers and NIL. An elite coach can win big in most P5 schools.
 
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