Why Oklahoma HC Brent Venables Believes Kentucky Can ‘Play With’ Anyone in SEC

NORMAN — The superb start to Will Stein’s tenure in Lexington has been one of college football’s most surprising storylines of 2026 so far.

Stein, who Kentucky hired to replace Mark Stoops in December, has the Wildcats 5-1 and ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25 after the first six weeks of the season. Kentucky has earned conference wins over LSU, Texas A&M and South Carolina, and their lone defeat came against Alabama, which has risen to No. 6.

As the Sooners prepare to face Stein and the Wildcats on Saturday, they have nothing but respect for the surging program.

“They’re playing as well as anybody in college football right now,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “They’re battle-tested, and they really believe in themselves.”

Only 37 years old, Stein has already established himself as one of college football’s top offensive minds.

The former Louisville quarterback served on UTSA’s staff for three years before becoming the offensive coordinator at Oregon in 2023. He spent three years with the Ducks before taking the reins as Kentucky’s head coach.

Kentucky failed to reach bowl eligibility in each of the two seasons before Stein’s arrival. Now, the Wildcats are only one win away with six games remaining.

“He's doing a great job at instilling belief and leading, being 5-1 right now,” Venables said. “This is a really good football team, they can play with anyone in our conference.”

Kentucky is averaging 34.7 points and 414.2 yards per game. The Wildcats are averaging 5.1 yards per carry, which ranks fourth in the SEC.

Individually, running back CJ Baxter — who previously played at Texas — has been the star of the offense, rushing for 484 yards and eight touchdowns on 87 carries. Freshman wide receiver Kenny Darby has also been a standout with 401 yards and three touchdowns.

Playing quarterback for Kentucky is former Notre Dame backup Kenny Minchey. He has completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,394 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception in his first year in Lexington.

“They’ve been opportunistic and have taken care of the football offensively,” Venables said. “They spent a lot of money on their roster, I'm sure — or at least on the right guys. They've got a good quarterback who makes good decisions. They've got some really good skill guys that they brought in through the portal.”

Kentucky’s offense has been efficient across the board, but the offensive line might be the unit’s strongest link.

The Wildcats’ five starting linemen have an average height of 6-foot-5 and an average weight of 324 pounds. That makes Kentucky’s position group taller than 25 NFL offensive lines and heavier than 26.

Through six games, the Wildcats have given up only 11 sacks and 33 pressures. Kentucky’s offensive line was named to the Joe Moore Award’s midseason honor roll as one of the 25 best units in college football.

“They’ve done a great job with their front,” Venables said. “Top to bottom, that’s the best offensive line we’ve seen so far.”

The good news for Oklahoma? The Sooners have one of the nation’s top defenses to battle Kentucky’s stout offensive line.

OU ranks first in the SEC in passing defense (150 yards allowed per game) and first downs allowed (12.8 per game). The Sooners also rank in the top five in the conference in scoring defense and total defense.

Still, Venables knows that his defense must play its best football to limit Kentucky’s complete, efficient offense.

“It’s going to be a big-time challenge for our guys,” Venables said. “I think there are a lot of areas that are going to be very important. We have to play well as a football team, and that’s going to be a critical part.”

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