Will Stein shares how he feels about Kentucky's RB room heading into the season

Kentucky's running back room has had an injury-filled past. Now, they're looking to put that behind them.

Kentucky head football coach Will Stein speaks during a news conference before the start of fall camp in Lexington, Ky., on Aug. 3, 2026. Stein discussed the Wildcats' offseason preparation and the start of preseason practice. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kentucky football's season kicks off in just a few days when they take on the Youngstown State Penguins, who are entering as a top 10 team in FCS. The biggest challenge for the Wildcats will likely be on the defensive side of the ball, so what can we see from the highly-anticipated offense under Will Stein? The ability of having explosive weapons at receiver is important, but the running back position is just as valuable.

The potential is there, but entering the season, the biggest priority with Kentucky and its running back room is health. Both starting RB CJ Baxter and Jovantae Barnes have delt with injuries in the past and are looking to use their stint at Kentucky to really get back to their old selves. As a true freshman in 2023, Baxter rushed for 659 yards. Then, he missed the entire 2024 season with a kneee injury, before appearing in eight games last season and dealt with a hamstring injury. For Barnes, he is a former top 150 recruit in his high school class and totaled 1.469 yards and 13 touchdowns during his three seasons with the Sooners. His best season came in 2023 as a junior where he totaled 577 yards on the ground, five touchdowns, as well as 17 catches for 123 yards. There is also the returning Jason Patterson, who will be in the primary RB committee rotation.

Oct 25, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian (right) talks with Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter Jr. (4) during warm ups prior to the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Tuesday during his press conference previewing Saturday's season-opener, Will Stein was very honest about how he feels about the running back room depth, something that's going to be tested throughout the season.

"I feel okay. I don't feel great, I don't feel bad," Stein said of how he feels about Kentucky's depth at running back. "CJ's had a really good last three weeks. He's out there practicing every single rep. I think Jason Patterson has gotten significantly better from when we first got him, especially within our scheme. He catches the ball well, and you know, Martels Carter has came along too. We got to do things to get the ball on the edge and getting other players involved, but for the most part, I would say I feel okay."

There are a lot of unknowns that happen within the game of football and injuries are part of that. It's going to take a few games to get the workload nice and balanced with the running backs, but staying healthy will in fact be the biggest priority for them all season because the results will come if so.

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