The Will Stein era is nigh, and the first-year Kentucky coach is ready to tackle the business at hand following an "elite summer."

"It’s amazing how quickly the off-season evaporates, and you snap your fingers and you’re right back into football mode," Stein said during Media Day on Monday. "Football camp is all about details and execution of our scheme. That really is where we’re currently building and where we will continue to build over the next 30 days or so until we play on Sept. 5."

For the next four weeks, Stein and his staff will convert from summer to preparation mode, which involves "getting into playing shape," followed by "execution details and then playing ourselves into shape for that first contest."

As with most programs this time of the year, there is no depth chart and "there's going to be a lot of competition out there." Stein has a preliminary idea of what the depth chart may look like when the Wildcats take on Youngstown State on Sept. 5, but he also wants to see competition in practice.

"We can project out where we feel like this team is going to be, but I want this team to be as competitive as possible from top down with the roster," he said.

Putting together a first team is obviously an important piece for Stein and his staff, but the head coach also wants consistency from top to bottom on the roster.

"We have to have strength in numbers," Stein said, "That, to me, is a key component to play winning football, especially in October and November where championships happen, is to have strength in numbers and to have winning football for multiple positions."

Stein also knows that will take time and will involve a process, starting with fall workouts beginning this week.

"Our process really is our winning edge. When you think about what we do as a program, what separates us from others is our process, how we practice, how we meet, how we recover, how we eat, sleep, and plan as a coach. All those are what I am going to double down on, and I’m not going to stop. The process is what makes us different and really excited about that."

Once the season kicks off, Stein and his coaching staff will review the previous game and develop a plan for the next encounter.

"On Sunday after games, we’ll go to what we call the doctor and figure out what we did well, what we didn’t do well and act accordingly to improve our program in all facets," Stein said.

As for himself, Stein is expecting the butterflies that occur before every game, even in his debut as coach of the Wildcats.

"I think that’s just human nature," Stein said. "It’s not nervous energy because of being unprepared or doubts or fear. It’s just the anxiety of getting that ball kicked and starting to play a football game.

"Once you get in the moment, you want to be so laser focused that you’re not worried about external factors that ultimately don’t matter, like nostalgia or love of this program. You just have a job to do and that’s what’s most important."

As Stein knows, the season will be here before you know it.


Kentucky football coach Will Stein shares a laugh with the media during UK Media Day Monday. (Keith Taylor/Kentucky Today)