On3 Sports Honors Kentucky’s Lance Heard, Coach Will Stein in Midseason National Awards
Kentucky football head coach Will Stein has been named On3 Sports’ Midseason National Coach of the Year and offensive lineman Lance Heard a First Team All-American, it was announced Tuesday.
Stein is the first UK head coach to start 6-1 in his first season since Alpha Brumage in 1913. He is also the first coach in Kentucky history to begin Southeastern Conference action with a 4-1 record.
He joins Paul “Bear” Bryant in 1946 and Blanton Collier in 1954 as first-year head coaches to lead their teams to a national ranking and is the first coach in Kentucky history to win the first two SEC road games of his career. Trailing 17-0 in the second quarter, UK’s win at South Carolina was the biggest comeback road win in school history.
He is the first head coach in UK history to score 31 points in five of the first six games of a season in his debut season and is the first head coach in program history to score at least 31 points twice on the road vs. SEC foes in his first season.
Stein is the first coach in Kentucky history to have 500 yards total offense in two of his first four games since Hal Mumme did so in 1997. Kentucky scored 45 points in Stein’s debut win over Youngstown State. It is the most points scored in a coach’s debut since A.D. Kirwan’s Wildcats posted 46 points against Maryville in 1938.
Heard, a 6-foot-6, 325-pounder from Bonita, Louisiana, has been the most prominent member of a rebuilt Big Blue Wall that recently was named a Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll recipient for the nation’s top offensive line. Heard has appeared in 43 career games and made 32 starts and was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after UK’s win at South Carolina.
In that South Carolina victory, he led the line with an 81 percent grade, had five knockdown blocks — including two on one play, a video that went viral — and did not have a penalty or allow a quarterback sack.
A week earlier he had five knockdown blocks, did not allow a quarterback sack or pressure, and his 80 percent grade led the UK O-Line in Kentucky’s win over South Alabama. He was named to the PFF College Team of the Week for his efforts against South Alabama after the line paved the way for 390 rushing yards.
The No. 12/12 Wildcats (6-1, 4-1 SEC) play host to Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4 SEC) on Oct. 24 at Kroger Field. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network. The game is sold out, but verified resale tickets for Saturday’s game may be purchased at UKathletics.com/fb26.
