Stein, Cats Have 'Good First Day'

The Kentucky football team had its first practice under new head coach Will Stein on Tuesday. After practice, Stein met with the media and said that he liked a lot of what he saw during Tuesday’s initial practice.

“First day in the books, a lot of really good work out there,” Stein said. “A lot of opportunities for the players. I thought the coaches did a really nice job with transitions between periods. Players were responsive to coaching and we got a lot of work done. So, good first day.”

Stein said that he and his staff will be introducing new plays, schemes and concepts during each spring practice.

“We install something every day,” Stein said. “We’re going to throw a lot of stuff on the wall and see what sticks, especially schematically. Learning our team in this setting is different than learning them in a walk-through setting in winter.”

That’s something that will continue throughout the spring, according to the UK head coach.

“We will have about 15 installs over the 15 practices,” Stein said. “Now, how many plays or schemes that is, really? It’s not like every day has 15 new plays. It might be two or three here or there.”

Stein knows what he wants to get out of each practice, and he has borrowed some of what his former boss does in his practices.

“We have a certain standard that we’ve built here,” Stein said. “It is similar to what I just experienced with Dan (Lanning at Oregon), but I put my own spin on it where I see fit.”

When Stein was asked what he wants to see from his team during spring practice, he was clear about expectations for the players.

“I just want to see great strain, great commitment, connection within our team,” Stein said. “We’re not trying to reinvent football during spring ball. It really is fundamentals and technique. Can we run our base install really well. Do it so well that we can’t get it wrong.”

Stein hopes that his playing history might inspire his UK players to ask more of themselves, much as he did as a college player.

“Playing with an edge, playing with the confidence that resembles me,” Stein said. “I was never the biggest player but I always played with an edge, with a chip on my shoulder and that’s what I want our players to embody is the spirit of me. But also play smart, tough dependable football.”

The first practice of the Will Stein Era is in the books, and the new UK coach believes that his team got off to a good start on Tuesday.