Will Stein explains why he wasn't surprised by Kentucky's upset over Texas A&M

Stein knows Kentucky has the pieces to be a great football program.

Will Stein | UK Athletics

The college football world was buzzing about Will Stein and Kentucky on Saturday when they went into College Station and dominated the #9 team in the country in Texas A&M. So far in his months on the job in Lexington, Stein has never wavered in confidence one bit. Now, after the big win, Stein says he was not surprised to see the result on the scoreboard on Saturday.

Why? Stein is confident in what he has begun to build at Kentucky and he knows what pieces he has on this team and he feels this year's squad can make some serious noise and Saturday was the first big glimpse of that. In an appearance on Matt and Myron on ESPN Radio, Stein explained why he isn't surprise to see his squad get a top 10 win this early into the season.

Sep 19, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Will Stein reacts during an on field interview after the win over Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I think I have a great team. I really do," Stein said. "I think I got the personnel to go win. And I think by the way our guys practiced this past week, showed me that they were going to be ready to play in Kyle Field. And they were tough on Tuesday, tough on Wednesday, and showed up and we're really physical on Saturday."

What has made Stein so confident that he himself can turn the overall football program into a contender so quickly? He says it starts with getting great players, then you go from there.

"I think we have great players. I really do. I think it starts with that, and then when you look at the process and how we go about things on a daily basis, combine that with our coaching staff, I feel like we have the right pieces in this organization and in this university to go be great, and this was just one step in this process. It was one game. Like I told our guys, we're 1-1 now in conference, and it was a big win to go get in-conference on the road, which is never easy in the SEC. But you know, we expect to win every single game. We never line up across from somebody not thinking that, and it's not because we just believe; it's because of the work that we put in."

Gave the Big Blue Belt. pic.twitter.com/aQGH10FzYA

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 20, 2026

That confident mindset that Stein has had all off-season since getting to Kentucky is represented in how hard his team practices and you saw the results paying off in a major way against the Aggies. Now, it's about continuing to build what Stein started this past weekend.