Coleton Price says his wife, Hailey, pushes him daily but also keeps him from getting too obsessed with football. (Isaac Edwards Photo)
Baylor transfer Coleton Price is being counted on to anchor the Kentucky offensive line for new coach Will Stein. The 6-foot-3, 308-pound Price started 30 games at Baylor, allowed just one sack, six quarterback hurries and seven total pressures in 2025. That’s why he is again on the preseason watchlist for the Rimington Trophy that goes to the nation’s best center.
Price’s faith is important to him. He has the Bible verse Ephesians 6:10 tattoos on his right arm. The verse says: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
“I’m a big believer. You can see it is almost like a Spartan type gladiator thing and talks about wearing the armor of God each and every day. Each morning you wake up, you know you are going to face all these different obstacles from the enemy,” Price said. “I think having this on my arm reminds me of that.
“Being able to live in my faith and be really close to God, that’s going to get me to where I want to be in the future. So I really believe in that.”
He also believes in family and married Hailey Skinner of Bowie, Texas, last October. 10 during a Baylor bye week.
“I wanted to tie the knot, I didn’t skip a game. It was a bye week,” Price said. “We got engaged earlier in the year, so we ended up getting married in a bye week, October 10th.”
He likes to fish, hunt and other outdoors things to get away from football but really enjoys just “hanging out with his wife and their dogs” all he can. He considers being married a “huge” advantage he has over most college football players.
“Being able to go home to a wife and hanging out with someone is huge. Obviously we are living in a house and she does a lot for me each and every single day,” he said. “Football itself is a really awesome thing, but sometimes you can get a lot of pressure on you. Sometimes you can get too obsessed to where it almost breaks you down.
“To be able to come home and be able to spend time with your wife or whatever and get away from that a little bit gives me an advantage for sure. Now she definitely pushes me. She makes sure I’m always doing something. She definitely motivates me throughout the day to figure something out to do and how to enjoy it.”
Price definitely has enjoyed life in Lexington with new coaches, teammates and fans.
“There’s nothing that’s bad about it (being at UK),” he said. “I think the coaches have done a really good job of getting all the guys together and building this culture that probably wasn’t here prior. It definitely brings a type of energy that I haven’t seen before from a team. You can definitely see the confidence within the players and that comes from the preparation that we do each and every day. I really enjoy everything that we’ve done to get our bodies and minds right for Saturdays (game day).”
Stein and offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich hope they have rebuilt the Big Blue Wall with Price as the anchor. The five projected starters have an abundance of experience but have never played a game together. Price said not to worry because of the preparation the players have been doing for months on and off the field.
“Each of these guys come from different places, including myself, and so we’re all new. But we’re able to find a bond. You got five guys, 10 eyes, and you want to all look through one lens. You want everyone on the same page so when you are out there you are able to rely on one another, trust in one another. I couldn’t be more excited to be able to play next to these guys.”
He knows the SEC will be different from the Big 12 but the challenge excites him.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t say it’s too big of a difference scheme-wise overall, but I would say you’re playing with bigger guys on the D-line, more dominance,” Price said. “I’d say you’re going against better guys to give you better looks and that’s what ultimately makes you a better player.”
One Response
It's definitely a better conference then the Big 12 so he better be ready. The d lineman in the SEC are the real deal. I think he will have a great season and be one of the leaders of this offensive line. He's a very intelligent player. He did great last year in the Big 12 and that should carry over to his last year in college. I know he wants to go out with a bowl win in his last year. I think this team has it and will accomplish great things this season. I just hope Tegra can get healthy. We are just as good with Jordan Knox out there but we need the depth. We need everyone healthy and that's what Stein is doing by holding players out who aren't all the way healed and not rushing them back so they get 100% healthy. I think getting Afari for Oberry is a nice trade. Afari has over 30 starts under his belt in the SEC and he will be in the 250 tackle club when the season is over and that's a big accomplishment to get over 250 tackles in the SEC and he should have 10+ sacks as well in his career. So overall just a great football player. Everyone is worried about him not going through spring practice but this will be his 5th year of college football. I think he will be much better prepared then what people think he will. As long as he is ready by the second week of the season. That's when we will need him. He was the best linebacker on the team that last couple of years. I do believe Grant Godfrey and Alex Afari will be your 2 starting linebackers as the season goes on. That's a ton of experience. A 4th year and 5th year player at linebacker is always nice. Now pair them up with our outstanding defensive line and experienced safeties and you have yourself a great defense. If our offense can come along and get better each and every game by the middle of the season we might just go on a winning streak that nobody else is seeing. I do think when we play Louisville we will already have enough wins for a bowl game if that tells you anything. If I could project a record for Kentucky I would say the floor is 6-6 and there isn't no ceiling. We have the talent and experience to accomplish whatever we set out to accomplish. I think this team can sneak into the playoff at 9-3 6-3 if all goes well and we cause as many turnovers as I think we will cause. I believe Bryant and Castell will combine for 8+ ints. That's alot of turnovers with just two players. Both guys are in there senior year and have basically started the last 3 years in the SEC. This year the game will slow down even more for our 2 safeties and I just think they will flip the field alot. I also really like Nichols and Sykes at the corners. I think they will combine for 4+ ints. That's 12 ints with the safeties and corners. That's a pick every game. That might be one stat we can keep. I think we cause a int every game and our defense is going to be blitzing heavy so players are going to rack up some sacks. Watch out for Ahmad Breaux who I think will make a case for being a starter this year only to takeover in 2027. Breaux has a NFL future if he stays in the weight room and could gain about 10-15 more pounds of muscle he would be one of the best d lineman in the SEC. I think there is this eye factor where guys think you have to be 300+ pounds to play the defensive line. That's not true. You can be 275-280 pound defensive lineman and be faster than the offensive line and really make some noise. I really like Breaux. I think of course Gadson, Humphrey Grace, Harkless, Wiseman, and the big bad Jaden Williams who might end up starting this year before it's all said and done. Williams is a monster. I never thought he would be as good as he is right now and he's getting better. I can see 20+ tackle season and 2-3 sacks for Jaden Williams. He will be firmly in the rotation on the line. I'm interested in seeing Gadson, Humphrey Grace, Afari, and Godfrey all on a blitz getting after the QB. It's going to be fun in Lexington this Fall.
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