Kenny Minchey recalls his initial impression of HC Will Stein
By Ethan Stone
Published:
It’s Kenny Minchey’s time to shine.
Kentucky‘s starting quarterback for the 2026 season battled for the starting role at Notre Dame with uber-talented QB CJ Carr, who is expected to be one of the best quarterbacks in the game this upcoming season. After narrowly losing the role to Carr in 2025, Minchey entered the transfer portal and wound up in Lexington, just 3 hours from home in Nashville, TN.
Minchey was present in Tampa, Florida for Day 1 of SEC Media Days, representing the Wildcats alongside S Ty Bryant and TE Willie Rodriguez. While fielding questions, Minchey was asked to describe his first impression of head coach Will Stein, who is entering his first year as a head coach and his first year in the SEC.
Here’s what he had to say:
“His energy on the phone, and then being able to meet him in person when I first got to Lexington, that was the first thing I noticed was his energy. Charisma, just how much he cared about football and about people. I could tell he cared about me and my family. I could tell he cared about the other guys that he was getting in the portal, the guys who are on the team,” Minchey said. “And then also just as a football coach. He’s a great leader. I know people like to talk about him being a first-year head coach and all that stuff, but he definitely knows how to lead and knows how to rally some troops, which I’ve noticed for sure.”
“He’s really smart,” Minchey continued. “Comes from a good background. In terms of coaching, he’s really — he’s pretty young. I don’t know how old he is, but he’s pretty young. But he’s coached a lot of football and called a lot of plays. And I’m just excited that he’s my head coach and I’m being able to play under a guy like him.”
Minchey doesn’t have much college experience, but there’s no doubt that he’s talented. That serves as a microcosm of Kentucky football, as the Wildcats are a talented, yet unproven team heading into Year 1 of the Stein era.
Could Kentucky surprise some folks this year? The Wildcats kick off their season on September 5 against Youngstown State.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
