Will Stein talks process recruiting QB Kenny Minchey to Kentucky

Kentucky football wasted no time getting their quarterback for Will Stein's first season as head coach in 2026 when they picked up a commitment from Notre Dame transfer QB Kenny Minchey from the transfer portal earlier this month. Now that it's official, Stein was able to talk through what the process of recruiting the former four-star quarterback was like. Safe to say, the staff did their homework.

Minchey was a former four-star prospect out of high school, who then entered the transfer portal ranked as the #14 QB in the cycle. Following redshirting in his freshman season at Notre Dame, the former four-star recruit and played just one game that season, as the Fighting Irish then went on to become runners up in the 2024 National Championship game. In his sophomore season, Minchey then lost a battle with one of the top quarterbacks in college football, CJ Carr. Now, he has found a new home in Lexington, and Stein believes in the impact he can make for the Wildcats. But, he's not the only one who trusts Minchey. The new Kentucky head coach did his homework when recruiting him, and everyone he talked to had great things to say.

"We did our background on him," Stein said on Monday. "Everybody we talked to, even guys on (Notre Dame's) staff, felt like they still would have won 10 games with Kenny out there playing quarterback. Talked to NFL scouts on him, who feel like he's got a really high upside in this game. He's somebody that I was really excited to get." What did Stein see in Minchey as a player that made him want to go after him? "Extremely accurate. He's got great athleticism. I think when you talk to him and you guys meet him, he is phenomenal person, very smart."

The 6-2, 208-pound QB will get to show what he is made of in Will Stein's electric offense in Lexington next season, and one of his key incoming weapons is LSU transfer WR Nic Anderson, who Stein also talked in-depth about on Monday. "(I) actually got to watch him when I was coaching Dylan Gabriel, and I was like, this guy's popping off, number four is a freak making plays all over the field at OU and obviously it was big to have Joe (Sloan) as that relationship piece to really solidify that. (Joe Sloan)wanted to come here and then show him how he's gonna make plays in this offense. So he's a big, tall, fast, tough receiver that I'm really excited to coach."

Combine that with getting tight end Willie Rodgriguez back, who Stein described as a 'need', as well as the other receivers in the position room, Minchey will have plenty of choices to go to next season.