Kentucky coach Will Stein certainly let national radio show talk host Jim Rome know how impressed he has been with quarterback Kenny Minchey.
The Jim Rome Show is syndicated by Westwood One, and can be heard on affiliate radio stations in the U.S. and Canada.
Once again Stein shared that he felt the Notre Dame transfer had some of the same attributes that former Oregon quarterbacks Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore had when Stein was coaching them.
“He’s been exceptional from the minute he stepped foot on campus. He’s really dove into the playbook. It feels like he’s been in my system for years,” Stein told Rome. “That was really impressive for me when he got here.
“Just his command, his consistency, and honestly the way he throws the football. He’s super accurate. He’s mobile. He throws on time, He still has room to grow, which is great. But I think he’s definitely started off on the right foot here with us.”
ESPN has Minchey No. 67 on its list of Top 11 Newcomers in college football this season.
“Kentucky needed to find stability on offense after they were plagued by inconsistency and departures at quarterback. Stein, Kentucky’s new coach and previously Oregon’s offensive coordinator, was a great first step to stabilizing the offense given his track record of explosive offenses, and he answered by signing Minchey out of the transfer portal,” ESPN’s Billy Tucker wrote. “He fits the system that distributes the football to its playmakers and limits turnovers.
“Stein took a hands-on approach with Minchey this spring, notably working on his mechanics in his drop and comfortability in the pocket. In his limited game experience, Minchey did a great job taking care of the ball in mop-up duty. He has a strong arm and the ball jumps out of his hand on throws. Kentucky’s offense needed someone to take the reins and Minchey is ready for a sustained opportunity.”
5 Responses
Kenny Minchey is the real deal. The one thing Stein did was upgrade every position across the board. I believe we have a team that is going to win some games that traditionally we aren't supposed to win. We will start out 2-1. We will beat either Alabama or Texas A&M. Right now I'm leaning towards a week 2 upset of Alabama and if this happens then anything is possible this year. Lose that game and we better win week 3 against Texas A&M. The bad thing about Texas A&M is we play them at one of the hardest places to play in college football. I just think with the offensive line and defensive line we have we can run with anyone. Add on that we have the best safety duo in college football and interceptions is what is going to let us flip some games. We have the most underrated backfield in college football. Our receivers will get better every game. Besides Nic Anderson we have a young receiver room. Gilmore and Miller will end up being a better receiver duo then Brown and Key. The good news about this team is we should have most of the players for at least 2 more years. I absolutely love our defense and I also love the chemistry that we have behind the scenes that alot of people don't get to witness. This team is so close together. Much closer together than any Mark Stoops team we had here. That's what makes a team dangerous when they play for each other.
Stoops had sold BBN a bill of goods on the last 3 quarterbacks and none came close to living up to the hype, but in fairness, Stoops was not an offensive guy. Barnhart hasn't done a lot right in the last few years of his tenure, but hiring Stein could change that narrative. Stein's ability to recruit has exceeded expectations for the first year head coach. He says that Minchey is ready to go. Having a top 5 strength of schedule will put both Stein and Minchey to the test from the jump. Youngstown State will be a tough game in and of itself for a season opener. That performance will give us a window into what we can expect for the rest of the season, but the South Alabama game will be the game that sheds light on the team's chance for a bowl bid. I would be happy if we are 2-2 after that game. We have a puncher's chance of being 4-4 after the Vandy game and 6-6 after the Louisville game. Finishing 6-6 and getting a bowl bid and winning that game would be like reaching the peak of Mt. Everest. I have not counted LSU and Missouri in the win column, but both games are not guaranteed losses. It is nice to be excited about football again. Go CATS!!!
I agree. A bowl game is a step in the right direction. With 3 possible all conference offensive lineman. With the running back trio we have I just think we are going to be able to keep drives alive. We also have Minchey is who much more athletic than any QB we've had since Levis and he's more athletic then Levis. He doesn't have the arm strength Levis had but he's much more accurate. I told everyone when Levis was here that he was a gunslinger. Like Brett Farve they just put the ball somewhere around the receiver and it's up to the receiver to catch the football. Minchey has perfect touch on his passes and is very accurate. With possibly Ponatoski and Nawrot we will have a great WB competition to see who backs up Minchey in 2027. Whoever wins the backup I think will probably be the starter in 2028.
The mindset being instilled into this UK FB team is a new refreshing injection into a program that became stagnated by out-of-touch HC Stoops.
Just the start of virtually every game was enough to know that UK players were not properly prepared mentally to a game. The terrible trance the pregame phase that got into the entire team was like having signs on their jersey “we can’t win” or “not interested in playing today” or “do not disturb – still asleep”.
Will Stein is inserting lightening into the playera & filling them with confidence and a renewed interest in playing FB.
The unbelievable schedule is a tough wall to knock down but this season is starting off with the best mental attitude since Brooks had some very good years.
Liam Coen lit up the UK offense and has proven his ability by turning the Jax Jaguars into a contender in just one season as HC. Will Stein is doing what Coen would be doing here if he had replaced Stoops instead of letting Stoops frustrate him with his HC control over his OC’s.
WILL Stein WILL make UK a winning program with players proud to wear UK on their jerseys.
I agree and I think this year will show the football world that we are here to stay and if your on schedule I don't care who you are you can and will get beat when you see Kentucky.
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