Why Promoting Kentucky Football Online is a Priority for Will Stein

There was something unusual about this edition of SEC Media Days, and not just because it moved to the Florida Gulf Coast. In most years, a notes app on my phone was filled with questions the Kentucky head coach needed to address. How did Hardley Gilmore get back to Kentucky? Vince Marrow really just up and left? Mark Stoops, why have you been so quiet this offseason? Those were all questions posed to Mark Stoops one year ago. The response to the last question was met with bewilderment from the head coach who didn’t want to make headlines. “I didn’t do anything different this offseason with y’all. I don’t think. People have tried to insinuate that I’ve been laying low on purpose,” Stoops said in Atlanta. Will Stein has taken the exact opposite approach. It was difficult to create even just one question that he hasn’t already addressed this offseason. SEC Media Days is the start of Talking Season in college football, but not for Stein. “I feel like I’ve been talking since I got here,” he joked. “Slax has got me on more radio shows, podcasts, interviews than I’ve ever even imagined. But it’s all promoting our players, our brand, Kentucky football, our state, our university, and anytime it’s about that, it’s all positive.” Stein isn’t turning down interview requests because he needs a second job in the media. He doesn’t need a moment in front of a microphone to boost his ego. There is a reason why he wants to keep Kentucky football in the news. “Everything’s driven through social media. You got to have a presence on there, and not because it’s cute or fancy, but that’s where all the recruits are looking, and that’s ultimately what matters,” said Stein. “Our fans are Priority 1, but also Priority 1b is the players. We have to get the correct players here, and you can do that a multitude of ways. But I think having exposure for us was huge, and I’m really proud of our marketing team, our social media presence that we had. I think it’s definitely — I mean, I get texts all the time, ‘I see more Kentucky football than I ever have in my entire life online.’ That’s important.” If joining podcasts were responsible for winning football games, Shane Beamer would be a five-time National Champion. You can’t exclusively rely on marketing to recruit players. That has to be done with wins on Saturdays, but every single little thing helps. Will Stein has done all of the little things right ahead of his first season at Kentucky.