Price Looking for 'Energy, Effort, Passion' in Wide Receivers

Joe Price III has spent nearly his entire life in Texas. He grew up in Houston and has coached in the Lone Star State on the high school and collegiate levels for most of his career. But when given the opportunity to join Will Stein’s staff at Kentucky, Price jumped at the chance.

“At (the University of Texas-San Antonio), Will trusted me in his room, hanging out in his room when I was director of player personnel,” Price said. “We both built a great bond and when he transitioned into the (offensive coordinator) role there at UTSA, I became the receivers coach. We created a cool bond from a coaching standpoint.”

In addition to the relationship with Stein, Price welcomes the opportunity to coach wide receivers at college football’s highest level.

“I’m super excited for (Stein) to have his first opportunity to lead a program, especially in the SEC,” Price said. “And it just made sense at this time of my career to move forward with a guy that trusts me and I trust him.”

Price had to hit the ground running when it came to recruiting, as the Kentucky roster did not have many experienced players returning. Price and the UK staff did that, recruiting players of different sizes and skill sets to fill out the room. What is Price looking for in a player?

“A guy who plays with a ton of passion,” Price said. “Receivers come in all shapes and sizes. As you look out there, you see some big guys, you see some not so big guys and there’s some guys in between. Ultimately, we want a ton of speed on the perimeter and want to be able to have the opportunity to take the top off the defense.”

But it’s not just the passing game where Price wants his receivers to excel.

“We want to help in the run game and be able to be physical on the perimeter, too,” Price said.

There is one non-negotiable for Price as he looks at players.

“Two things we don’t want to coach are energy and effort,” Price said. “So, when I’m out looking for guys, I’m looking for guys who play with a ton of energy, have great effort, a lot of passion and then the skills, we’ll coach that as we go.”

Receivers in Stein’s offense have always had plenty of opportunities to get receptions. As Kentucky continues its spring practice, Price is hoping to grow this group into a force once the season gets underway.