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Youngstown Today
By the People, for the People
Kentucky's Blue-White Game Stays Off TV, Suiting New Coach Will Stein Just Fine
Stein wanted to keep things simple and hide signals to avoid giving opponents too much advance scouting material.
Apr. 20, 2026 at 4:00pm
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Kentucky's secretive spring game strategy aims to keep opponents guessing ahead of a pivotal 2026 season.Youngstown TodayKentucky's annual Blue-White spring football game was not televised this year, which new head coach Will Stein said was intentional. Stein wanted to keep the team's offensive and defensive schemes simple and avoid revealing any signals or special teams plays that opponents could study. He noted that many coaches prefer not to have spring games televised for this reason, as it can provide too much advance scouting material for future opponents.
Why it matters
Kentucky faces a challenging early-season schedule, hosting Youngstown State and then Alabama in the first two weeks. Keeping the spring game under wraps allows Stein and his new coaching staff to maintain an element of surprise heading into the season and makes it harder for opponents to game plan against them.
The details
Stein said he instructed his coordinators to 'be simple' during the Blue-White Game and to 'huddle a lot' and 'hide our signals' to avoid revealing too much. The coach also noted that Kentucky did not run any special teams plays during the scrimmage. Stein explained that many coaches prefer not to have spring games televised, as the game film can be used by opponents to scout players who may later enter the transfer portal.
- The Blue-White Game was held on Saturday, April 19, 2026.
- Kentucky opens the 2026 season on September 5 against Youngstown State.
- Kentucky hosts Alabama on September 12, 2026 in what could be the team's biggest game of the season.
The players
Will Stein
The new head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats football team.
Jay Bateman
The defensive coordinator for the Kentucky Wildcats football team.
Joe Sloan
The offensive coordinator for the Kentucky Wildcats football team.
What they’re saying
“I told (defensive coordinator) Jay (Bateman) and (offensive coordinator) Joe (Sloan) be simple. You never know. I'm not saying anybody … you don't know who's in the stands.”
— Will Stein, Head Coach
“You can go on YouTube and look up spring football games throughout the country and watch what spring ball looks like at other schools. There's not a lot of broadcasted games nationally because all you do as a coach is get the TV copy, you splice it, and you study it.”
— Will Stein, Head Coach
What’s next
Kentucky will open the 2026 season on September 5 against Youngstown State, followed by a highly anticipated home matchup against Alabama on September 12.
The takeaway
By keeping the Blue-White spring game off television, new Kentucky head coach Will Stein was able to maintain an element of surprise heading into the 2026 season. This will make it more difficult for opponents to scout the Wildcats and game plan against them, especially early in the year when Kentucky faces a challenging schedule.
