‘I am BBN’ and other great quotes from Will Stein at SEC Media Days

By now, you’ve heard Will Stein’s best line from SEC Media Days, that Kentucky Football will win big during his tenure because of him. That was far from Stein’s only great quote. The man who told us that everyone wants to play for him and that if we’re scared, go to church delivered several gems during his time on the main stage. Here are my top five. “I am BBN” Every reporter in Tampa probably knows that Will Stein grew up a Kentucky fan, and that his dad played for UK. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey mentioned it as he introduced Stein, even sharing how Stein rushed the field after Kentucky beat No. 1 LSU back in 2007. As expected, Stein included his background as a lifelong fan during his opening remarks, hammering home his connection to the fanbase, program, and Commonwealth. “I’m thrilled to represent Big Blue Nation as head football coach. As a Kentucky native, a kid growing up going to Commonwealth Stadium to watch the Cats, this is truly a dream come true to me. I am BBN. For 18 years of my life growing up, I was a member of Big Blue Nation. My dad played at Kentucky, my mom is a graduate. To come back to the Bluegrass State, being a fan of Kentucky football and athletics, is truly surreal.” “To wear the blue and white is an honor” A common complaint about the NIL era is that players only care about the name on the back of the jersey. Given his background as a fan, Stein wants his team to put equal importance on the name on the front of the jersey, a quote that will hit BBN right in the feels. “In a world where we’ve added 45 new players to UK football, it’s my job as head coach to get these players to play for the name on the front of their jersey. It’s a selfish world. Our players must understand and be fully invested in sacrificing personal glory for team success. To wear the blue and white is an honor. To represent the Commonwealth and Big Blue Nation is a privilege that our players and coaches will not take for granted.” “The one thing I refuse to be is soft-minded” As Stein reminded reporters, Kentucky has the fourth-hardest schedule in the country. He’s said repeatedly that’s a challenge he embraces, but he wants his players to develop the same mindset to prepare for what’s coming. “I’m excited about this team. We laid a strong foundation. The DNA we’ve built within Kentucky football centers around connection. As a coaching staff, the first thing that I had to do, that we had to do, was develop a real connection with these players. A connected team is a dangerous team. They typically play the longest, the hardest, or hardest the longest. “Our guys needed to get to know each other. They had to. They need to know their coaches had real investment in them as people. They needed to feel a coaching staff that actually likes coaching with each other. That’s huge. They needed to feel a connection to Big Blue Nation, to our fans, and see how passionate they are. We built a strong connection up to this point, and we will continue to grow together throughout the season. “This is going to be a tough program. Football is the toughest game played by tough men. It’s physically demanding and mentally exhausting. Guess what, life is tough, too. The one thing I refuse to be is soft-minded. I understand; I’ve already accepted myself that there will be tough moments this season. There always are in every year that I’ve ever coached. Our response as a team will dictate the outcomes. I cannot wait to fight adversity with this group.” “I took the job to win, and to win at championship levels.” Stein had a pretty good gig at Oregon, coaching Dante Moore, but leapt at the chance to coach Kentucky. He wanted to make it clear to the reporters in the room that it wasn’t because he wanted to move back to the Bluegrass; he truly believes he can make Kentucky a contender. “Like I said in my opening press conference, when I was hired, I didn’t take the job to be closer to my family. I didn’t take the job because my dad played at UK. I took the job to win, and to win at championship levels.” Stein doubled down on that later on when answering Adam Luckett’s question about why Kentucky can win big under him. “Again, I said I was so fired up that Mitch brought me here. I’m also excited about what the future holds. That’s why I’m excited. That’s why I believe. Or else I wouldn’t have taken the job. I would have stayed at Oregon, coached Dante, stayed out there.” Joe Sloan is “already probably the mayor of Chevy Chase” Why did Will Stein pick Joe Sloan as his offensive coordinator? Stein recalled going up against Sloan for recruits while he was on the staff at Oregon and Sloan at LSU, and even earlier in their careers, when Sloan was at Louisiana Tech and Stein at UT San Antonio. Stein joked that Sloan has already won over the Chevy Chase neighborhood in Lexington with his likability. “Elite communicator. Especially for a coordinator, communication is huge. Presence, confidence that he has. I’ve been very impressed with that. Then, I mean, the man can recruit. He can really recruit. He can move the needle. He seems to know everybody. He’s already probably of the mayor of Chevy Chase in Lexington.” Sounds like we need to plan a trip to Chevy Chase Inn to investigate.