Success is pulling at Will Stein from every direction — and Kentucky must keep investing to hold him

LEXINGTON, Ky. — It's the Wednesday morning of Kentucky's bye week, and Will Stein is raring to go.

He pauses the Tennessee game tape he's watching for an unintended consequence of success: another media interview.

As Kentucky (7-1) keeps winning on the field, requests for Stein multiply. As a first-time head coach, he's navigating the world of more for the first time.

More requests of his time. More interest in his program. Maybe even more pressure as a team picked to finish 14th in the SEC has already surpassed expectations and has a real chance to make the College Football Playoff after debuting at No. 6 in the rankings. What may have felt like a dream to Kentucky fans in August is now a possibility, and Stein doesn't want to let it slip through his hands.

To start our interview, I asked Stein what he's learned about himself and the experience as a first-year head coach. His answer perfectly summarized what it's like to be a head coach in 2026.

"I've learned that I've got to do a lot of interviews like this when I want to watch football and game plan," Stein says. "No, I think it's you try…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/