David Pollack Takes Notice of Resurgent SEC Program Making Waves in College Football

A first-year head coach has turned a program that went 2-6 in conference play last season into a top-15 team riding three straight league wins.

College Football Analyst David Pollack | See Ball Get Ball/YT

Kentucky football has spent decades living in the shadow of its basketball program, but a 5-1 start under first-year coach Will Stein has former Georgia All-American David Pollack treating the Wildcats as a legitimate SEC threat.

On X, Pollack shared a clip of an animated Stein on the sideline during Kentucky’s comeback at South Carolina, writing, “One school starting to feel like it more and more though. Another ‘basketball school’ starting to make some noise. BIG BLUE NATION!!!!!!”

Why is Pollack buying Kentucky?

Kentucky head coach Will Stein walks off the field at the end of the first half against the LSU Tigers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The “another” in Pollack’s post reads as a nod to Indiana, the basketball-first Big Ten program that went 16-0 and won its first national title under Curt Cignetti last season.

Kentucky has carried the same label for years. Then-basketball coach John Calipari said in 2022 that “this is a basketball school,” and then-football coach Mark Stoops answered on Twitter, “Basketball school? I thought we competed in the SEC?”

Stein is giving that question a better answer on the field. Kentucky entered the season without a win over a ranked opponent since 2023, and it now owns a 31-21 win at No. 9 Texas A&M and a 35-34 overtime win over No. 10 LSU. Stein is also backing up his Cignetti-like talk after the Wildcats went 2-6 in SEC play last season under Stoops.

Kentucky’s back-to-back overtime wins

Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey (3) looks to throw a pass against the LSU Tigers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At South Carolina, Kentucky trailed 17-0 in the second quarter before finishing the largest road comeback in program history. Stein skipped a second overtime and went for two, and quarterback Kenny Minchey found tight end Willie Rodriguez in the back of the end zone to win 35-34.

LSU at Kentucky followed a similar script a week later. Running back CJ Baxter ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including a 77-yard burst on Kentucky’s first snap. Freshman receiver Kenny Darby, a former LSU commit, made a 22-yard catch in overtime to set up Baxter’s 1-yard score, and Minchey ran in the 2-point conversion.

Kentucky won without three linebackers, two defensive backs and a defensive lineman, and it became the first team in school history to play consecutive overtime games. Stein said the outside noise helped. “I took a picture of (ESPN) College GameDay this morning; everyone picked LSU,” Stein said.

What’s next for Kentucky football?

The Kentucky Wildcat and Scratch take the field before the game against the Youngstown State Penguins | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The No. 15 Wildcats visit 3-2 Oklahoma on Saturday, Oct. 17. The Sooners just beat Texas 27-24, and Game on Paper ranks their defense first nationally in adjusted EPA per play.

ESPN’s FPI ranks Kentucky only 30th, but its strength of record ranks fourth nationally behind Georgia, Indiana and UCLA. The same model gives the Wildcats a 20.7% chance to make the Playoff, which puts them among eight programs chasing a first berth.

After Norman, Kentucky hosts Vanderbilt before a bye, then closes with a trip to Tennessee, a home game against Florida, a trip to Missouri and the rivalry game against Louisville. A win over Oklahoma would move Kentucky to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in SEC play heading into the Vanderbilt game.