2026-04-22- KSR - Hour 2

Summary

Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 2 | April 22, 2026

Host: Matt Jones, with Shannon and Will Stein
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts & Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)
Main Theme:
Hour two of Kentucky Sports Radio features robust discussion about objectivity in sports talk radio, the state of UK Athletics leadership, Mark Pope's hiring as UK Basketball coach, fan expectations, football recruiting and roster-building in the NIL/transfer era, and an extended, candid segment with Coach Will Stein.

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Episode Overview

This episode grapples with the challenge of maintaining objectivity and fan engagement during turbulent sports seasons, especially when UK teams are underperforming. The crew addresses criticism from fans, takes calls about the athletics director search and recruitment strategy, and wraps up with an in-depth interview with UK Football Coach Will Stein on spring practices, recruiting in the NIL era, roster management, and his philosophy on program building.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. On Objectivity and Tone in Sports Radio

(03:09–06:45, 13:19–14:07, 24:28–25:25)

• Fan Reactions: The majority agree KSR's balanced criticism is appropriate, though some fans accuse the crew of being either too negative or too supportive depending on outcomes.
  • "Most people are probably 75, 80% saying that they think we take the right tone." — Matt Jones (03:23)
  • "There's no winning. If I come on here and say everything's great, then people will go, Matt, you're making it to where they won't make a change. You just can't win. So all you can do is just say what you actually think." — Matt Jones (04:59)
• KSR's Impact: The hosts describe how Kentucky’s athletic success significantly affects everything from local business revenue to show ratings and morale.
  • "The difference in the bottom line for KSBar when we win or lose is hundreds of thousands of dollars." — Matt Jones (05:35)
• Objectivity & Authenticity: They reject the idea of becoming cheerleaders for the university, aiming for honest takes over fan-pleasing fluff.
  • "I tried [being positive during down years]. I was on the official network for a few years...You don't feel like you can say stuff." — Matt Jones (25:25)

2. UK Athletics Leadership & Coaching Search

(07:24–09:49, 09:26–09:49, 27:20–28:18)

• Administration Criticism: Callers voice frustration with Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart and the university president’s involvement in selecting his replacement, especially as leadership turnover looms.
  • "Barnhart is a black cloud over this program." — Caller (07:24)
  • "Why is this president hiring an AD when he's getting ready to leave?" — Matt Jones (09:26)
• The Mark Pope Hire: Discussion of the process, with confirmation that Pope was likely hired due to being a “UK guy”—and if not, the job would’ve gone to Shaka Smart, with other more controversial candidates deemed off-limits by university higher-ups.
  • "If Mark Pope was not the hire, the coach here would be Shaka Smart...is that better or not?" — Matt Jones (07:50)
  • "There was a moment...I thought Bruce Pearl was going to be the coach here...then late in the afternoon it was told that he could, they could not hire him. And then they quickly moved on Pope." — Matt Jones (09:01)

3. KSR as ‘Group Therapy’ for the Fanbase

(13:19–13:27, 13:39–13:50)

• Show as therapeutic for fans: "At times, you're like our group therapist leader. This show becomes group therapy. You have to lead us through...It's tough right now, but light." — Matt Jones (13:19)
• Differences with other fanbases: "When we lose, we want to talk about it. Other fan bases just move on to something else." — Shannon (13:44)

4. Caller Interactions and KSR Culture

Memorable Callers and Humor (14:07–15:18, 16:15–17:17)

• Highlights include a former UK football player seeking bumper sticker advice and a classic non-sequitur call about “Afro Man” running for president, which the crew laughs off as typical KSR unpredictability.

5. Notable Sports Headlines and Fun Debates

(21:07–23:32)

• Yankees to wear alternate uniforms for the first time.
  • "The Yankees have never worn alternate uniforms. Only franchise to never do it. The players want to do it this year." — Matt Jones (21:33)
• Devin Hester, Hall of Fame inductee, receives a lifetime supply of ketchup; lighthearted debate on ketchup brand loyalties ensues.

6. Breaking UK Football Commitment News

(25:59–26:51)

• Antoine Higgins, an edge recruit from Cincinnati, commits to Kentucky. His unusual name spelling draws some on-air banter.
  • "His quote: 'You can tell it's a whole new program. It's different. Everybody is buying in.'" — Matt Jones quoting Higgins (26:25)

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In-Depth Interview: Coach Will Stein on UK Football

(31:45–52:07)
One of the most insightful and engaging parts of the hour—with detailed takes on program-building, recruiting, transfers, and NIL.

Spring Practice Review & Team Strengths

• Teaching a New Culture: "It’s really teaching these guys how we practice, how we meet, how we operate...I was really pleased with how they responded." — Will Stein (32:19)
• Offensive Line: Stein touts the o-line as potentially NFL-caliber.
  • "Our first five, six, seven guys are as good as I've been around in a long time...Potentially all five could play in the NFL." — Will Stein (34:13, 34:30)
• Defensive Secondary: Likes depth at safety and corner, with special mention of transfers and returners.
• Recruiting Philosophy: Focused evaluations over merely buying talent. “The fun's in the winning...but it's not just a sales pitch, they see the energy, every conversation.” — Will Stein (41:01)

Roster Building in the NIL/Transfer Era

• Market Value and Depth: Acknowledges talent is more spread out because elite programs can’t hoard backups thanks to transfer rules.
  • "Now those second and third string dudes might want to go start somewhere else...Is that, am I correct in that? Yeah, that's 100% true." — Matt Jones & Will Stein (37:04–37:35)
• Approaching NIL and the Transfer Portal:
  • Players are evaluated with a dollar “market value”: “There's gonna be a few players that are $5 signs that we want...if you pay a $5 player, they better play right away.” — Will Stein (46:16)
  • Portal recruiting is like the stock exchange: "You better make a deal and get it and be aggressive or you're gonna lose it...Portal recruitment is wild." — Will Stein (49:29)
• Recruiting Never Stops: "It's not over until it's over. And even when it's over, it's still not over." — Will Stein (42:27)

Coach Stein’s Recruiting Approach & Philosophy

• Building Staff: Blending "football guys" and "nerds" in personnel for smarter evaluation and broader reach.
• Energy and Competition: “I want to stay in Lexington for a really long time, you know, and if I don't go get great players, shoot, you're going to be talking trash about me...And how do you win? Get great players.” — Will Stein (44:10–45:22)
• Paying for Impact: Spending big on crucial roster holes, especially offensive line, and refusing to overpay for depth.
• Culture and Continuity: “They see the energy. They saw it in January, March, April...it’s not just a sales pitch.” — Will Stein (41:01)

Looking Forward

• Excitement about the Fall: "I'm so excited...Kroger Field needs to be like it has been, a home field advantage. I want people hating to come to Kroger Field..." — Will Stein (51:47)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "[The only thing that's] win-loss proof is this show. But everything else is...much better when we're winning." – Matt Jones (06:17)
• "If you want a show that just affirms your beliefs, go watch one made by the university." – Matt Jones (03:23)
• "When we lose, we want to talk about it. Other fan bases just move on to something else." – Shannon (13:44)
• "I want people to understand...if Mark Pope had not been the coach here, it would have been Shaka [Smart]." – Matt Jones (08:16)
• "It's not over until it's over. And even when it’s over, it’s still not over. Nowadays. You can get out of a commitment or a sign deal after you sign." — Will Stein (42:27)
• "[Portal recruiting] is like being on the stock exchange in New York City...be aggressive or you're gonna lose it." — Will Stein (49:29)
• "When I have great players, I've been a part of 69 wins over the last six seasons...When you have better players, you win more games. It's pretty simple." — Will Stein (44:10)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Objectivity and Criticism of KSR: 03:09–06:45
• Administrative Leadership Drama: 07:24–09:49
• Mark Pope Hiring Backstory: 07:50–09:26
• Caller Bumper Sticker & Humor: 14:07–15:18
• Afro Man-for-President Caller: 16:15–17:17
• Fun: Yankees Uniform Debate & Ketchup: 21:07–23:32
• Breaking UK Football Commitment: 25:59–26:51
• Extended Will Stein Interview: 31:45–52:07

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Tone and Style

The hour is lively, conversational, and often self-deprecating—leaning into the show’s role as both information source and communal sounding board. While deeply knowledgeable about UK sports, the crew maintains an approachable, relatable banter and isn’t afraid to lampoon themselves or the wider sports media landscape.

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For New Listeners

If you missed the show, this episode is a quintessential slice of KSR—honest, at times irreverent, blending hard sports analysis, phone-in banter, fan culture, and deep-dive recruiting talk with the key personalities that have made this show a Kentucky staple.

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Transcript

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[Shannon]

welcome to hour two of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome back. I'm number two, Kentucky Sports Elite Radio. Well, I can tell you that the good thing about this topic is you get a lot of messages. I mean, text machine flying.

Are they more pro or more common?

Most people are probably 75, 80% saying that they think we take the right tone. One person writes, matt, I don't know how in the world people expect you to do a show when the team loses 14 games, struggles, gets beat by 40 points and come on and go things are great. That would be ridiculous. And the fact that people suggest that you should want that means they don't actually want sports talk radio and they should watch a show that's made by the university. Well, to some extent I think that's true. I mean, there are like, you know, people have a natural tendency to want news that affirms their beliefs. Right. The only way I can do this is to do it in the way. It's what I actually think. Now another person says, I think you all were too negative during the season. You kept telling us that we couldn't make a run and fans got used to it and took on that perception. Well, maybe. But Shannon, I didn't think we could make a run.

[Shannon]

Turns out, and they didn't make a

[Caller]

run,

[Matt Jones]

you know, I mean, they go back to Stoops. We got accused of being a sunshine pumper for Stoops.

[Shannon]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

Why didn't we call for Stoops a job earlier? Right. Like there's no winning.

[Will Stein]

No, there's not.

[Matt Jones]

So that's one of the reasons when, when I hear people say KSR like once UK to lose or sabotage. Here's the, here's the thing. The only time that this fan base is universally happy is when we're winning. This show's easy to do when we're winning, right?

Yes.

Then I can go middle fingers up to the other fan bases. But when we're losing, what are you supposed to do. Because if you. If I come on here and say everything's great, then people will go, matt, you're making it to where they won't make a change. You just can't win. So all you can do is just say what you actually think.

The bottom line is, we're radio guys. We're also fans. We want our teams to win. And I said our jobs are easier when we win. We. We profit. My. My livelihood depends on Kentucky winning a lot of times.

Oh, dude. I mean, the difference in the rev. Like the difference in the bottom line for KSBAR when we win or lose is hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Amen.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars difference. And that's just one thing. This radio show is the only thing we do that seems to be winning or losing proof. The website, much better when we're winning. The restaurant, much better when we're winning. Remotes are better when we're winning.

Yes, good point.

The only thing that's the same is this show, but everything else is. It's when we post game shows, better when we win.

Oh, yeah.

This two hours seems to be almost

win loss proof because we try to be somewhat objective. We're happy when they win, we're mad when they lose.

But the rest of it, I mean, go look, there's going to be a study come out here in a few weeks. I think that's going to say that when Kentucky is good in basketball, it has like a 8 to 10% effect on the Lexington economy.

I believe that. I'm surprised it's not even higher.

No, I mean, I've heard that that's coming out.

So.

So, like, that's a. I'm not surprised. That's how this state is. Dave, go ahead.

[Caller]

Hey, thanks a lot, Matt. A couple things real quick. I'm gonna try to hurry. Lord knows that there's a lot of things you say that I don't agree with. But in this case, you guys, it's crazy to think that y' all aren't objective. I mean, seriously, you call it like it is, but, you know, this fan base can be ridiculous in both directions. Also, real quick, until Barnhart. Barnhart is a black cloud over this program.

He just is.

This whole fiasco. I think this. This fish stinks from the head down. Second thing, why would. If we're getting a new president, why would he go ahead and pick the ad if there's a new president coming in the last thing, and I hate to be a downer about this, let me ask y' all a Question. Because this hit me last night. If Mark Pope was not one of ours, would he have been offered this job to begin with?

[Matt Jones]

Well, I appreciate the call. I don't know. It would have been him or Shaka Smart. Probably not is the answer to that question. But that. But I. We had gotten to the point that if Mark Pope wasn't the hire, the coach here would be Shaka Smart. So you'd have to ask yourself, is that better or not? I think the answer probably no, but that would have been the qu. That would. I want people to understand the way it played out. If Mark Pope had not been the coach here, it would have been shock us.

Mark, where would we be with him, you think?

I don't know. Who knows? But I'm just saying that's. That's what it was. Because once the university said and the. Mitch Barnhart was told by university leadership, you cannot hire Bruce Pearl. Sean, excuse me, Chris Beard, Sean Miller and Nate Oates. That then that was. They had the approval to hire either Scott Drew or Danny Hurley. Couldn't get them right. Was not allowed to hire those four. There was a moment I've said this. I thought Bruce Pearl was going to be the coach here. There was a two hour period. So what, Pope was announced on a Thursday night.

Thursday night.

Right. Shannon Wasn't like 30 at night or something? Yeah, at 7:30 that night, I thought. Or 6:30 that night. I thought we were hiring Bruce Pearl. Now I think that was from stuff that had happened in the afternoon and then late in the afternoon it was told that he could. They could not hire him. And then they quickly moved on Pope. Moved on Pope. So, you know, that's that.

That's the time the caller brought up a good point. Why is this president hiring an ad when he's getting ready to leave?

Because some people would think the next president is already like already calling the shots now.

So it brings up. I'm gonna ask you this then. Did the incoming potential president, the one that made that decision that the board doesn't have to approve all the. All the hires he has solo dictatorship like he set himself up to move into this spot and have it.

Well, that would be. I can't say with definitiveness, but there are people who think that. But I can't say I'm not there. So I don't know. Richard, Go ahead, Richard.

[Caller]

Okay.

First time caller, long time listener. Yeah, thanks. Well, I've been a. From first of all, you guys, perspective is right. And I've been around a long time. I'm 65 years old almost. But I'm. I was a huge pop supporter when he came in, but I just have a perspective and I'll get off. If you were running a business that had been top tier and you've kind of fallen down a little bit, and you were going to hire a new recruiter or a company, got to find talent, and. And your first year that he hired the talent, you came in kind of average. And now you're looking at where we're at now and what he's got. Wouldn't you be saying, hey, I need to move on and think about that? And that's all got things.

[Matt Jones]

I think people would do that. But then you also have to consider what that costs you. I mean, we're still like. We're still paying Mark Stoops, right?

Yes.

We're paying Mitch Barnard a million dollars a year. For some reason.

You let Pope go, you're going to be paying him.

Yeah. And then you're going to have to go pay a new coach. And one of the things we've seen in these off seasons, I mean, go look at what happened in North Carolina. They ended up having to hire a guy that wasn't even in basketball right now.

Yeah.

Because it's not as easy as it used to be to go steal guys.

Right.

I mean, we learned that when we went through it. Guys tend to be, you can win anywhere now. You could win anywhere. And that changes things. Connor, go ahead.

[Caller]

Hey, guys, just want to bring a little positivity here. I just want to remind the people, you know, you guys have been doing this. No, Matt Jones, you've been doing this for quite some time. I've been listening myself for 12 to 13 years. All the negative negativity towards KSR. I'd like. I'd like people to go watch that video that, that run back of the press conference. When Matt Jones got that ovation, his cheeks got all red. It was awesome. That's the people that really care about Kentucky basketball. They support ksr. And the negativity is, you know, they. They just don't. Haven't been around long enough or they just. They just want to be heard. And another positivity. Is Mario killing it? He is absolutely killing it. I love the addition of Mario. He has been so good for ksr and he's. He's in a. He's an asset for sure. So good job for you guys. And also, ratings don't lie, and y' all have the top ratings.

[Matt Jones]

Thank you. And I appreciate all that. And I'm not like, that's very nice. That was. That was a very special day for me when that. When that happened. But I. You know, I'm such. I want to please people. Like, I don't. I. I don't want to be,

[Will Stein]

you

[Matt Jones]

know, I don't want to be, like, a lightning rod of people. Like, some radio hosts like to be the center of controversy. I think a lot that's not. I don't want to be like that. I really don't. I want to be entertaining. But it is hard to make people laugh and be entertained when we're losing. That's why when I tried to do that, remember the COVID year, I was like, we're losing. Let's try to at least have fun with the losing. And people are like, we don't want to have fun.

[Will Stein]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

We want to be mad.

At times, you're like our group therapist leader. This. This show becomes group therapy. You have to lead us through. Okay. It's tough right now, but light.

At the end of the day, I wonder how Louisville talk shows did it that last year at Kenny Payne when he won four games.

[Shannon]

Well, they just stopped caring. And that's the difference between their fan base and ours.

[Matt Jones]

You know, I think you're right.

[Will Stein]

I watched.

[Shannon]

I watched Vanetti do a pregame show and not one caller, because nobody cared.

[Matt Jones]

Right.

[Shannon]

I think that's the difference between us and everybody else. When we lose, we want to talk about it. Other fan bases just move on to something else.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. They move on to their lives.

[Shannon]

Yeah.

[Caller]

Paul.

[Matt Jones]

Go ahead, Paul.

[Caller]

Well, gentlemen, my name is Paul Karam. I'm a former UK football player, and I have a dilemma that I hope you guys can help me with.

[Matt Jones]

All right. We will try.

[Caller]

I printed. Printed up 500 bumper stickers, and the guy who's doing the printing for me has sent me two drafts. The first one simply says, I'm a UK knucklehead. The second one says, I'm a knucklehead with the UK in knucklehead in big and blue. Which one would be.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I'm expressing no view on whether or not you should make the bumper sticker. All right, so. But if you are determined to make the bumper sticker, then I think the knucklehead with the U and the K capitalized, I think makes your point in a more subtle, effective way. Shannon, do you agree?

[Shannon]

I do.

[Will Stein]

Yeah.

[Shannon]

Yeah. If you can somehow incorporate. What about, like, the logo?

[Caller]

What about Ryan?

[Matt Jones]

Oh, see. Cause we need to ask Ryan. Cause Ryan is the person who falls for yard signs and bumper stickers. That's true.

And I am kind of a knucklehead, so I definitely liked the logo in the.

[Shannon]

In the.

[Matt Jones]

In the bumper sticker.

[Shannon]

Just don't get caught with like a copyright or something.

[Caller]

I'm not trying.

[Matt Jones]

It's a good question.

[Caller]

I'm just trying to.

I'm. I'm trying to help the budget. Okay.

[Matt Jones]

Appreciate the call. By the way. The board of trustees meeting is Thursday and Friday. And in theory they have the ability to overturn that.

Mitch Deal and governor Beshear encouraged people to go.

You do wonder if to some extent that was the.

Oh, I think the timing of it. Is that exactly why he wants people to go to this business meeting on Thursday?

Yeah. We're going to be in Manchester.

Is it tomorrow? Is it Thursday or Friday?

Thursday and Friday.

Thursday and Friday are the meetings.

So could be a very. I think you're going to have people there who care about the law school thing. You're going to have people who they care about the Mitch thing. Could be quite a circus. Sounds like something Mario should go to. Oh gosh. Bob and Jamestown go ahead. You're off your suspension.

[Caller]

Matt, you know you were talking about sheer being a presidential candidate. Did you hear now that since Afroman when his case up there in Ohio he's considering a run from the presidency.

[Matt Jones]

Did you say Afro man? Are you talking about. Because I got high guy.

[Caller]

Yeah.

Yeah.

Huh.

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Know who that is? How do you even know who that is?

[Caller]

Well, he's been around. I could say they just won that defamation case up there. And I guess he got a little boost.

[Matt Jones]

Like what Afro man does.

[Caller]

Well, it's just a media thing.

[Matt Jones]

Thank you. Thank you Shannon or thank you Bob.

That to me that's why he's so entertaining. You never know. Never have any clue what he's going

[Shannon]

to bring to the table. Bob and Jamestown is going to call up with an Afro man reference.

[Matt Jones]

Well, first of all, he cannot be on topic. You know what I mean?

That's what I love about it.

Like. Like it's just. It's never going to be on top. Nope. No matter what. So he comes in and he's talking about. We're talking about the future of Kentucky basketball. He's like, you hear Afro man's going to run for president.

[Shannon]

Who's voting for him?

[Caller]

I don't know.

[Matt Jones]

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[Will Stein]

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[Caller]

Foreign.

[Matt Jones]

Back techie sports radio. Yeah, I mean I know he was in the news a lot for the. The thing with the police officer, but I still was surprised that was his topic. Couple little things. Yankees have requested to the team to get to wear their first alternate uniforms ever to ever. The Yankees have never worn alternate uniforms. Only franchise to never do it. The players want to do it this year. Should they do it?

Yes. I mean times have changed and they'll go back to their pinstripes and no name on the back of the jersey. But why not wear it once?

Shannon, give him a chance.

[Shannon]

Yeah, I'm fine with that. I mean for they play 162 games. I mean who would be against them doing it one time?

[Matt Jones]

The Yankees always remember they didn't let people have facial hair.

[Shannon]

That's right.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Shannon]

Which is a dumb of a Steinbrenner's rule, right?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Shannon]

Yeah. I mean one time here and there. Yeah, that's good. I'm fine with it.

[Matt Jones]

All right with it.

I'm. I'm definitely okay with it.

Devin Hester is going into the NFL hall of Fame. That the return guy for the Bears.

[Caller]

Bears.

[Matt Jones]

He was the 57th pick. He is the first 57th pick to ever go into the hall of Fame. So to celebrate, Hines57 is giving him a lifetime supply of ketchup.

[Shannon]

I hope he likes ketchup. I can't stand it. So that would be.

[Matt Jones]

I forgot about that. You hate ketchup.

[Will Stein]

Him and Drew.

[Matt Jones]

Drew doesn't like ketchup either.

How do you not like ketchup?

I love ketchup.

I just don't like it with fries. No interest in ketchup.

[Shannon]

Ranch, cheese, ranch, even barbecue sauce.

[Spinquest Advertiser]

What are you. What you don't.

[Matt Jones]

You are from the sticks. Putting ranch on your. You put ranch on everything. Like on your steak.

[Shannon]

No, but on some fries. If you're fries and some ranch. That's good. It's good stuff.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I like it, but I do think that's not.

[Shannon]

When you get cheese fries, they give you ranch to dip it in.

[Matt Jones]

Do. Yeah, they do.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

I just. I think not liking ketchup is weird, but a lifetime supply of ketchup. You think they just give it to him all at once?

Here's a garage full of ketchup. Go for it.

So Costco is like to me.

Well, at least it's Hind Heinz is the only ketchup to use your anti Hunts. Anti Hunts. Anti Roll gold, whatever the other one called.

Gold.

Something gold. Roll. Roll gold. I don't know which ketchup.

[Will Stein]

It's awful.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I was. When I see hunts doesn't sponsor. When I see Hunts. I usually means this place wants to save money.

Yeah. Gotta have Heinz.

I think we have Heinz at ks.

We do. Yes, we do.

If we have Hunts. No, take it back.

No, we have. We have Heinz.

Yeah. John Kerry, that's his thing, right?

I don't know.

I think John Kerry's wife is the heir to the. To the Hind Heinz ketchup fortune. Yeah. Just a little piece of info. Mike. Go, Mike.

[Caller]

Hey, guys. Sorry guys.

[Matt Jones]

I feel like anytime you're ready on this.

[Caller]

Can you hear me?

[Matt Jones]

All right, Mike. All right. I gotta let you go. I'm sorry. I. I'm sorry. Plus, I'm sitting here staring at Will Stein right now.

He's ready to go.

I'm sitting here watching Will Stein eat while he's waiting for his segment. He's laughing. We'll get. I'm sorry. We'll just eat. I'll. I'll try to stop looking at you, Martin. Go ahead, Martin.

[Caller]

Yeah, guys, in regard to the thing about your all's alleged negativity, I just want to put something in there on that. I'm an older UK fan. I remember the standard and I agree with the standard. Still, if I wanted to listen to the channel that did nothing but blows blow smoke at my rear all day long, I wouldn't listen to you guys because, you know, sometimes it is. It is what it is.

[Matt Jones]

I'm a firm believer what it is.

[Caller]

When it is what it is. You can paint it up as, you know, as ridiculous as you want to and try to sell it, but you guys don't do that. That's why I listen to you. The reason I'm calling in saying, I hope you never become that. Keep on doing what you're doing. Sometimes, you know, people just need to hear the truth, even if it's, you know, not painted up and finessed with the just right words and all that, you know, sometimes that's true.

[Matt Jones]

He doesn't always have the right words. I appreciate the. Appreciate the call. That's. I can't do it the other way. I tried. I was on the official network for a few years.

Yes.

Now, luckily, I was on it in 2014, 15, and 16. So we were pretty good.

Pretty good run right there. Pretty good run.

So that wasn't that hard to do because, like, it was pretty easy to talk about the 2015 team because we just beat everybody down. But it is tougher. Like, you don't feel like you can say stuff. Since he's not officially on yet, we can do some breaking news here, Shannon.

[Shannon]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

One in Kentucky gets another football commitment. Antoine Higgins has committed to Kentucky. He is from the Cincinnati area. Kentucky got in on him late. He visited campus, decided to come. His quote, you can tell it's a whole new program. It's different. Everybody is buying in. It's the family I wanted to be in. So there you go. Yet another big football commitment. Kentucky, I believe right now in the on three rankings, is sitting at number 11.

[Caller]

Wow.

[Matt Jones]

Which is crazy.

That's crazy. What. What position is this guy?

He's an edge, it looks like.

Dude, those are. Those are hard to recruit, these good edge guys. So maybe they snuck in there.

And new. You know, we've talked about how there are so many different spellings of the name Antoine.

Oh, yes.

This is one I've never seen before.

Okay, try it.

Have you ever seen this, Antoine? A N T, W, O, I, N,

[Shannon]

E. Oh, it's like he's mixing a

[Matt Jones]

N T W, O, I, N, E. That's an ain't. That's an Antoine.

[Shannon]

I've never seen taking, like, the two different ways I've seen Antoine and making it one, combining them.

[Matt Jones]

I like.

[Shannon]

Like the mom and dad couldn't decide on which version they wanted, so they

[Matt Jones]

just do half one half of the other. I understand. Yeah, that's right, Kevin. Go ahead, Kevin.

[Caller]

Yeah.

Three quick things. I know you got Coach Stein coming up, the guy that's painting up, printing up the bumper stickers maybe should pair up one, but I'M I'm a butthole with a big orange U and T in there. The coaching search. Coaching search. If they, if they do one for basketball, I wish they would do something differently. Instead of trying to go out for like a coach that's a success, real successful, or D1 and, and you go through the, the dance trying to lure him away. Go for either a successful assistant coach at a program that definitely wants to come to a place like UK or a smaller division coach who's very successful like the, like the football coach at Indiana and go in that direction. And nobody's ever mentioned the fact that the Baylor coach, they wanted him so bad and he hasn't had a very good last two years.

[Matt Jones]

No, no, we really didn't need him. Yeah, I don't know if that would have worked. I appreciate the call. You're right. Scott. Scott. Drew, we, we don't talk about a good year. Ended up not really having a Wild Eggs.

Windy, real quick.

Okay. Wild Eggs Wednesday. On what?

On the, on the Instagram.

On Instagram. Do the word Mario. Just put it up on KSR. We'll give away $50 from wild eggs on Wild Eggs Wednesday. Will Stein is next. Ksr.

Good job.

[Mysterious Caller]

We're lost and kickoff's coming up. I don't want to miss the lineup. I'm going to ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the stadium.

[T-Mobile Representative]

Well, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road. Nah, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out.

[Mysterious Caller]

How is there signal out here?

[T-Mobile Representative]

T Mobile and US Cellular are coming together. So the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city, saving a boatload with benefits. And there's a five year price guarantee too. Okay, here's the turn.

[Mysterious Caller]

Actually, can you pull up the way to a T Mobile store?

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[NFL Draft Announcer]

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[Matt Jones]

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[Will Stein]

Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[iHeart Radio Advertiser]

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[Matt Jones]

Call TJ. He'll make him pay.

[Shannon]

Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. Now, happy to be joined by Will Stein, who was eating his lunch at the table there during the last segment. What were you eating? What's a good Will Stein lunch?

[Will Stein]

I got a buffalo chicken wrap. Okay. And I got a little cup of Greek yogurt with some fruit and granola in it.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, that's health.

[Caller]

We're rolling, man.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, the wife's helping keep you healthy, so. All right, spring practice has occurred. We talked to you right before it. Tell me how you characterize the spring that you just finished.

[Will Stein]

Well, I mean, I think when you go through a spring practice, especially early on in like a tenure, it's really teaching these guys how we practice, how we meet, how we just operate on a day to day, you know, on day to day so that was the big part for us early on, is teaching these guys how to practice. And I was really pleased with how they responded to that because it was different than maybe years past here at Kentucky or even at the previous school. So that was big for us. And then just to find winning edges, like fundamentals and technique, like what those are on each particular scheme or side of the ball, and then just to bleed it in the actual schematics of it and trying to figure out where you want to take this team here in spring. And so we're really. Now we're in the phase of getting together as a coaching staff. All right, what do we like from the spring? Where do we go from here?

[Caller]

What.

[Will Stein]

What does the summer installation look like? And then going into fall camp, like, how do we want to build this team for the future? So, all in all, I was really pleased with our guys. I thought they were excellent from the very first minute that I got here on campus, opening up their chest to, in their hearts, us and allowing us to coach them really hard and changing their mindset about.

[Matt Jones]

So what do we like. What do we like about the spring? Like, if you were to say, okay, these are the two or three things on next year's team, I think, are strength, and here's the one or two things we're going to have to work on, what would they be?

[Will Stein]

Yeah, I mean, I think the strength. I'll start offensively. I think we have a strong unit up front. I really do. I feel like it's going to play winning football consistently. I think our first five, six, seven guys are as good as I've been around in a long time, and I know that's putting a lot on them. It's. It's obviously projecting something that has not even happened in a real football game yet. But I just see their size, their strength, their ability to retain information and play together as a unit. I thought that was really good.

[Matt Jones]

Well, let me focus on that for a second. When you say as good as you've seen, I mean, you've been around good Oregon teams, you've played good teams. Just the front, just the offensive line. Is it a. An offensive line that is at a level to be able to play with anybody?

[Will Stein]

Yeah. I mean, when I look at it, I make it in terms of, like, who's going to play in the NFL, And I think you have. I mean, maybe not in the next draft because some of these guys are going to come back and play for us again, but you're looking at a starting unit that Potentially all five could play in the NFL.

[Matt Jones]

That's pretty good.

[Will Stein]

When you look at a team, when you look at a team, the best teams have the most draft picks, right? They do. And so the, the units that I've had the last three years, all Joe Moore, Ward finalists being the best unit in the country, a lot of those guys are playing in the NFL and had some first round picks, some second round picks and like I see what it's supposed to look like and those guys are going to play in the NFL. Now, are they all first rounders? I don't know. I mean, I think some have the potential to be, but you're definitely going to have all those guys playing in the NFL, you know, whether it's the next season or the following season, which is. That's pretty good tell sign of like how good they're going to be. I mean defensively, I actually really like our secondary. You think about Ty Bryant, Jordan Castell, both played a ton of snaps in the sec. I like to Ryan Nichols a lot at corner. I think he's a really good player. Aaron Gates is playing a ton at star, you know, at Florida. Just got to stay healthy and then it's really the corner spot is really. I think it'd be a good competition this fall. Like Hassan Sykes, what he did this, this spring coming in from Western Carolina. And then young DeMarcus Gardner who is somebody we retained, did a really nice job. And then now Sierra Addison as well. So I like our secondary. I think our backers are a little bit unproven, but I like Grant Godfrey a lot. What he provides just from a leadership standpoint and understanding of our defense. Bo Barnes was a, is an extremely talented big inside backer. Reminds me of some of the, the former backers here, Kentucky from the past. He can run sideline. The sideline. I think he's a really good player. And up front, I mean, I think, I think Mike Keys is, is, is an elite type player. He's gonna play in the NFL for sure. You know, Tavion Gadson, if he continues to stay healthy. He's a big body up front. CJ Works had a really good spring. Antonio Barry had a really good spring. I like Jaden Williams, what he did for us as well. So I mean I think interior D line is probably going to be another strength for us. You know, big end will be a strength. We got some younger spots at backer, but yeah, I mean I, I really like our team. It's just about depth. Can we stay healthy? You know, I know that's everybody? It's a cliche. Every coach says that, but.

[Matt Jones]

Well, let me ask you on the death thing, because that's changed a lot in a way that I actually think would help Kentucky. This has been my thesis. Tell me if this is correct. You used to be able, if you were Alabama, you were whoever, Ohio State, you could get second, third string dudes that were all studs. Now those second and third string dudes might want to go start somewhere else. And now the talent is spread out more so that you can come in here and have a lot of guys with elite talent. Is that, am I correct in that?

[Will Stein]

Yeah, that's 100% true. It's 100% true. So that's the big thing. It's. It's not just getting the players, but it's having the right evaluation, you know, and, and you think about like I always go back to IU just because they just want it all. So it's, it's the most immediate thing that I can think about talking about. I thought they did a great job of evaluating the correct players to come in and fit in their scheme. And you don't know how much people are paying. That's the hard thing because there is no, there's no database that says these guys are getting this much. But when you think about market value of players, I, I do think evaluation is still the number one thing that matters. Do they love ball and do they fit your style of play and your scheme? So that's what we're doing right now. When you talk about what's the next phase for us as a coaching staff, we're about to go on the road and start recruiting and, and finalize these 27s to make sure that they stay locked in and then try to evaluate the 28s and beyond. And then when you get to the portal season, it's a whole nother.

[Matt Jones]

It's a different set of things.

[Will Stein]

Evaluation. Oh yeah.

[Matt Jones]

So you. So we heard about this thing that UK announced, this blueprint thing and they said you got, you guys at UK football had used it early. So tell, tell me when you're sitting down saying, what kind of players do I want to target? Whether it's that system or what else. I mean, how do you narrow. There are thousands of players. How do you narrow what it is you want?

[Will Stein]

Well, I mean, that's one reason why I have a GM and an assistant GM and a director of player personnel. Like we have an entire department dedicated to personnel, to acquiring talent and evaluating talent. I mean, I wish I Could walk you guys back to basically our war room. There's like freaking 20 minions back there to just splice and film and, and building list of boards and, and they're students and a lot of them are unpaid and they just love Kentucky football and they want to do whatever it takes to help and then they want to see themselves rise within this business and in this profession.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, so is it like half football guys, half nerds?

[Will Stein]

Yeah, I mean I think, you know, a lot of personal guys, you gotta have some nerdiness to you. But they're all football guys too. I mean kind of a blend. I mean even coaches, you got to have, you can't just have all freaking jocks, man. You got to have a, you gotta have a blend. It's a team. So I agree that's what these guys are. And, but they love it. And they come up here, they're the first arrive, last leave type kids and just grind on film and getting players names. But also, I mean a lot of our coaching staff knows a ton of guys around the country, high school coaches and so we get fed a lot of names as well. And we're tight with recruiting services too. And you know, the Tom Loys of the world, you know, the Steve Wilt Fongs of the world that give us a lot of names too, that we just start building up this database and you know, we recruit more than like a basketball or baseball, not in terms of time recruiting, but we have more players.

[Matt Jones]

So you got more people have that.

[Will Stein]

We have to cast a wide net, you know, for our team.

[Matt Jones]

Do you. Okay, so as I've been here hearing all these people that have committed and you've gotten some amazing commitments, I know you can't talk about the specifics of them, but high ranked guys, they all say the same thing. The culture there is fun. The coaches are fun, people are excited. It the every single person, they don't just mention the culture. They all have the exact same compliments to it. It's got to be gratifying. And is that what you're trying to build? Yeah.

[Will Stein]

I mean the fun's in the winning though, Matt, you know what I'm saying? Like that's what it's really fun is when you go win on Saturday. So they came here this spring, they loved what we're doing. It's not just a sales pitch, it's not just a, a one time discussion. They, they see the energy. They saw it in January, January when they came, they saw it in early March, they see it again in April. Like, man, these guys haven't changed. They see it on our. On our zoom calls, on our face times, on every conversation that we have. We're the same guys. So I think it's just recruiting is about waking these kids up and putting them to bed. You know, it has to be an everyday thing. It can't be once in a while or, hey, we got this kid committed now. He's good till December. F. That. It's not. It's not. You better still recruit. You better still go, yeah, like your hair's on fire. Because just because we got an awesome QB number two in the country, I don't think that everybody's trying to still kind of talk to him. I mean, you're crazy if you don't think that's. That's true or just because a kid committed somewhere that didn't choose us, you don't think the Wildcats are constantly talking to him and his family and his people. Yes, you have to. It's not over until it's over. And even when it's over, it's still not over. Nowadays, I mean, you can get out of a commitment or a sign deal after you sign. Yeah, I saw. I forgot what the. What they called the post signee portal guy. I mean, it's like, crazy, so.

[Matt Jones]

And then go ahead.

[Will Stein]

Then you gotta recruit your own team.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Will Stein]

Like, you gotta create your own team. So it's. It's constant. But that's why I hired these guys. I mean, I hired guys that are like me, that love football, that love their family, that. I mean, I don't.

[Matt Jones]

Don't wear quarter zips, though.

[Will Stein]

I mean, you can't guess what you want to go grab a beer with

[Matt Jones]

after work, but you can't. But you can't wear quarter zips, though, coach, is what I heard.

[Will Stein]

Yeah, like, I mean, I got one on right now. Aggressive take. Super aggressive take. All right. And I think I meant to kind of talk about, like, button up and stuff. I just don't want to be walking around on eggshells. I don't want our players to walk around on eggshells because we're dressed like a corporate office. We're football coaches. So that was my point. It was super aggressive. I actually love quarters. So I don't know who the. Who's the guy on your own?

[Matt Jones]

Billy is very dis. He's sitting right here, Billy. So we can see you here, dude.

[Will Stein]

You know, like, look, I got one on. And look, I got. I got a cool one on, too.

[Caller]

You know what?

[Matt Jones]

I'm saying that actually has a good

[Will Stein]

power K on there.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. He was very disappointed. He was very disappointed. That's his, his like Billy though, like

[Will Stein]

how Billy's dress right now. I'm gonna dress more like you, Matt. You know.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. This is, this is football coach Gary. Even though I've never played one down,

[Will Stein]

got the hat on. I'm a hat guy. Yes. Always gets on me because I'm wearing a hat in interviews I'm like, I'm a hat guy. I know I got some. My hair, I still got some flow. But I love a hat.

[Matt Jones]

I love it. So let me ask you just for my fascination about. Because the recruiting side of this to me is now very. I find it very entertaining. You seem in sort of energized when we talk about recruiting. I hear a lot of guys in the modern era go, oh, this is so hard. I think you seem like you're like, look, these are the rules and we're going to maximize them. Am I right about that?

[Will Stein]

100%. I mean the best teams I've ever been a part of had the best players. And that's what I tell these guys too. When I have great players, I've went, I've been a part of 69 wins over the last six seasons. And what does that. Yeah, we had great scheme. We do awesome stuff on offense. We're going to dial up stuff on defense. But when you have better players, you win more games. It's pretty simple. Like look at the last. I don't know how many national championships, champions maybe besides IU this year. Previous year we played Ohio State, I think they had like 16 guys drafted. They won it all. Michigan was a year before they had the most guys drafted. They won it all year before that was what Georgia most guys drafted, they win it all.

[Matt Jones]

And even if you look here, the best Kentucky teams in the last 12 years had huge amounts of people get drafted. Yeah.

Yes.

[Will Stein]

So like that's why recruiting matters so much. I mean I love Joe Sloan and Jay Bateman. They're going to be much better coaches. I'm going to be a better head coach when we got better players. And so that's why we recruit this way. That's why we have energy. I mean I want to stay in Lexington for a really long time, you know and if I don't go get great players, shoot, you're going to be talking trash about me.

[Matt Jones]

No, deservingly so we're not going to do.

[Will Stein]

And how do you win? Get great players. That's why I'm Enthusiastic about it.

[Matt Jones]

All right, so let's say there's a player. Let's just say his name is Bob in Jamestown and there's this player out there and you see him and you like him. Are you all setting like a financial value where you say I can't offer more than this. He's good, but he's this good, he's this dollar amount good or is it fluctuate? How do you do that to make sure you don't over pay and et cetera for players?

[Will Stein]

Yeah, I think that's a great question. It's like we have to set our standard or our, our market rate compared to maybe other people, like what are we willing to pay on this person? And if it goes above, you have to be willing to cut bait. You have to. But it's like I've told Pat and Pete, like, you know, like when you go on a Google review, you know, for a restaurant and they got like the dollar signs.

[Matt Jones]

Yes.

[Will Stein]

Like yeah, you got the $1 sign versus the $5 sign. There's gonna be a few players that are $5 signs that we want. But you also, if you pay a five dollar sign player, they better come in here and be an impact player right away. Like that's the type of money. Now quarterback position is different because like

[Matt Jones]

the quarterback market, there aren't that many here and there.

[Will Stein]

Right. But if you go, if you get a five dollar sign o lineman, you're basically saying you're coming in here to play. But you're also talking about an 18 year old going in the SEC and starting at offensive line for you against giant human beings on the other side of the ball. Or do you reserve that five dollar sign and go wait till January and try to go get a five dollar sign tackle? You know, we went and got a really good tackle. You know, he's going to be like Tony's here in Lexington or, or going to Malone's and buying the best steak that you can. You know, like you're gonna, you better, you better wear your nice suit and go.

[Matt Jones]

And where you would screw up, I would think is if you paid $4 sign prices for a $2 sign player. Am I correct?

[Will Stein]

100% right. And what we try to do too is like, all right, what is this? The, the cost benefit when we first got here, like players that were getting a certain amount, we're like, all right, like, like this player, but we can go get two players for what the previous regime was thinking about paying this. Like, all right, well like that's when you see people get in the portal, it's not just because they want to leave. It's like, what are people willing to pay? And what do you. What are you willing to do for your roster? And so it's.

[Cantu Advertiser]

It's.

[Will Stein]

It's. It's. It's a constant juggling act. And so that's what we're doing right now. It's like, all right, how many guys at this position are we actually going to sign the high school next year? And then what do we want to reserve for maybe a portal player? Or what do we have to have coming back at this position? So it's all projections. It's a balancing act constantly, and we're always evaluating.

[Matt Jones]

It's kind of exciting, though. I actually think it would be kind of fun to do it like that. You mentioned feed the studs. This is. You tell me if I'm wrong. This is just me looking from the outside at the way you built a roster. It feeds felt like to me, you were willing to pay top dollar for a handful of guys. I said on this radio show, your studs, and then everybody else, it was like, okay, they're going to have to fit into what we need to be able to pay them to do it, but we're going to really invest heavily in this. Seven, eight, nine guys. Is that correct? Is that. Am I looking at that correctly?

[Will Stein]

I think, yes, somewhat. I think it's just, like, what the market demands and what we needed. When I got here, there was like, no. No high school commits. Barely at o line. Like, let's just use them as an example. There's nothing. And, like, everything was gone. Everything was depleted. It's like, nobody signed anybody, you know, like, holy crap, man. Like, we have to go get this position, and if we do not get this, we will not win. Like, it's just. It's a fact. So we went and spent on that position because in order for us to move the football, we got to protect the quarterback and be able to run the ball. So that was something that we had to spend on. So, yeah, it's just a position by position basis. So I don't necessarily think it's like, maybe as. As you put it, but it is.

[Cantu Advertiser]

It's.

[Will Stein]

It's. Yeah, you go get the best players you can, and a lot of this stuff, too. Like, you put price tags on stuff, but kids still want to be in a good, great environment. They still want to be developed. They still want to see that what you do schematically fits them. And a lot of Agents drive up prices, too. You know, like, it's. They drive it up and then they shop you around. So if you. If it's like a balancing act, too. If you give them a number too quickly, especially in high school recruiting, it just gets shopped around. It drives a price up. Portal recruiting is different. It happens in, like. It's like. It's like you're on the stock exchange. You're in New York City. Like, you better make a deal and get it and be aggressive or you're gonna lose it, you know? So that's one thing I thought we did an excellent job of, is like, hey, they were there. Boom. Get it.

[Matt Jones]

Get it done.

[Will Stein]

Like, be aggressive. Be aggressive. In the Portal High School, you can massage a little bit. It's more of a slow cook. It's like a barbecue. Like, you better. You better make sure it's right. And that's where you can really find out the person, the player. You see projections. Portal recruiting is like, go for it. Wild. It's wild. Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

All right, well, I do want to get one. My only little piece of recruiting, you know, My guy, Max Duffy, former Raid Eye winner, tells me he's got his best Australian he's ever had coming in a year, and he's like, gotta get him to Kentucky. So I'm just keeping that. Keeping that and throwing that out there on a punter. He said he's been. He's been with those pro kick guys for 15 years. Like, the best one we've ever had is coming in about a year. So just a heads up.

[Will Stein]

Well, I love it. Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Because he want them here.

[Will Stein]

Well, I do, too.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I'll finish with this. Oh, I'm. How long do I have? Shannon, go now, quickly. How excited are you for the fall and what's the experience been so far?

[Will Stein]

I mean, I'm. I'm so excited. I really am. I'm really excited about. Honestly, Matt, like, these next couple months, we have some recruiting opportunities, too. Getting kids on campus. We got OVs coming up. We're gonna have my camp dates out for everybody here soon. So any parents that are listening, that's going to be out, which is exciting. Yeah. I'm excited to be around my family in Lexington to. To keep exploring this unbelievable city. I mean, I'm. I'm just excited in general, man. Like, it's gonna snap, too. You know how it's gonna be. We're gonna snap our fingers. It's gonna be here September 5th.

[Matt Jones]

It is.

[Caller]

I want Kroger.

[Will Stein]

Kroger field needs to be like it has been a home field advantage. I want people like hating to come to Kroger Field that are away fans that are away teams. Like, I mean I want it to be freaking lively. You know what I'm saying? And it will be. I know it will be.

[Matt Jones]

So I thank you very much.

[Will Stein]

It's awesome.

[Matt Jones]

They're making me get out of here. Thank you. We'll see you later. This has been Kentucky Sports Video.

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