That Time Will Stein Played against a Hall of Famer

Long before he was the head coach at Kentucky, Will Stein was slinging the rock around the Commonwealth. During his senior season at Trinity, he was a proficient passer who set the school’s single-season record with 54 touchdown passes. At the peak of Bob Beatty’s powers, the Rocks rolled over pretty much everyone they faced, with one big exception. During his trip to Tampa for SEC Media Days, the Kentucky head coach was asked to share the best athlete he’s seen on a high school football field. One clear answer came to mind from his 2007 season. “We’re playing Cincinnati St. X. They’re No. 1 in the country. They probably have 10 Division I players on defense. There’s one guy on defense that has no offers, and he didn’t start the year prior. So because he didn’t start, we listed him on the depth chart as a Toad,” Stein recalled. The man tasked with assembling this scouting report was Andrew Coverdale. The offensive coordinator for Trinity at the time, he now serves as the Wildcats’ passing game coordinator. He may have missed the mark with Toad. “Basically, this guy’s not very good. He’s got no film, no real stats. He’s a lacrosse player, probably not going to be a factor. Well, that guy was Luke Kuechly. All he did was run around the field the entire day and make about every single tackle. He turned into a first ballot Hall of Famer linebacker. He’s probably the best player I ever played against in high school football.” Stein’s squad lost that game 47-31, and two weeks later they fell to the other St. X, but it worked out all right for him. They didn’t lose another game, avenging the rivalry loss with an overtime victory in the 6A State Championship. As for Kuechly, he had 147 tackles during St. X’s undefeated, National Championship-winning season. Despite the production, he was an overlooked 3-star recruit who ultimately committed to Boston College over Duke and Stanford. Things worked out all right for him in Chestnut Hill, where he was a two-time All-American who became a Top 10 NFL Draft pick, Defensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, a five-time All-Pro Selection, and a first ballot Hall of Famer. Not too shabby. Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard and House of Blue, the most vibrant message board communities in BBN, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.