Will Stein has very high expectations for Kentucky's offensive line in year one

Kentucky football hasn't seen the same success in the last few years that it has seen the couple of years prior. That's in part due to the offensive line, a position that is extremely important to Kentucky's success but has seen a decline in the last few years. Under the late John Schalrman, who coached the offensive line from 2013-20, he built a unit that is now known as the Big Blue Wall.

Now, under Stein, he is looking to get back to living up to that standard, a legacy that Schlarman left and has not been acheived since his passing in 2020. Stein wants to honor him a big way and that's by bringing in the talent capable of doing big things up front. To have a great team, it starts with protecting the quarterback and making holes for the running back. Stein hopes his recent track record of offensive linemen can pay off in Lexington, too.

Jul 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Will Stein speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Very excited about them, very," Stein said of Kentucky's offensive line. "The last three seasons, I've been fortunate to have three elite offensive lines with draft picks and Joe Moore Award finalists, and this group in particular is as talented as I've been around, all the way across the board. You know, we did bring in guys with a lot of experience, height, physicality, size. The Big Blue Wall is something that is talked about constantly within our program. The legacy of Coach Schlarman, what he was able to do as a player and a coach of Kentucky, is on our walls in our building. To be able to run the football when it matters in November, when games are of the utmost importance, you have to have an offensive line."

Why has Stein had such successful quarterbacks in his time coaching? It's not only a credit to the players themselves, but to the offensive line as well.

"People talk about all the quarterback play that I've been a part of the last really four seasons, but look at the old lines that we've had. There's a reason why there's good quarterback play. Yes, those kids have played really well in the heat of the moment, but the offensive line has protected them, and we've been able to control the line of scrimmage running the football. ...We got a whole slew of guys up there that I feel like we can play winning football with."

Kentucky fans know what their team can acheive with a great offensive line. The best teams have featured a ton of talent up front and Stein knows how important that unit is in order to acheive big success in Lexington.

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