Stein Pleased with Tight Ends in Spring Practice
After Saturday’s Kentucky football practice, head coach Will Stein met the media. He was asked about his talented group of tight ends and the UK head man was very complimentary of the group as a whole.
“I think we have three really talented tight ends that are going to be really advantageous for us this season,” Stein said. “The tight ends have done a really good job.”
Specifically, Stein likes what he has seen in spring camp from Wille Rodriguez, who was third on the team last season with 23 catches for 310 yards and a touchdown.
“Willie is an all-around player,” Stein said. “He can do it all. He can pass protect, run block, catch the ball, create missed tackles.”
Henry Boyer, who caught five passes for 62 yards in 2025, is another tight end that Stein has seen excel during spring drills.
“Henry’s done a great job in line,” Stein said. “I’ve been impressed with his ability to catch the ball down the field. He made a few really good catches today and I think he’s proving his worth receiving the football as well.”
Redshirt freshman Mikkel Skinner came to UK with strong credentials, and Stein has seen that from him in spring drills.
“Skinner is an all-around player,” Stein said. “You can put him anywhere. You can put him in the backfield, at the hip of the tackle, out wide.”
Most of all, Stein likes how the tight end group has been complimenting each other.
“So they each have their own skills but they’ve been working really well together.”
Rodriguez has seen what Stein and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan have done at their previous stops and he’s intrigued about the role of the tight end in the new UK offense.
“They mentioned (Terrance) Ferguson at Oregon and then (Kenyon) Sadiq,” Rodriguez said. “Watched a bunch of their film and also, with Coach Sloan at LSU, we watched a bunch of Mason Taylor film. So, it was really good to see those guys’ film.”
Stein sees potential in all three of the tight ends he mentioned. The UK offensive staff will be looking for even more ways to get those players the ball in the fall.
