New Kentucky HC Will Stein Makes Bold Prediction with Viral Quote Ahead of CFB Season

New Kentucky head coach Will Stein isn't lacking for confidence, that much is for certain.

Stein was asked Monday during SEC media days why he thought he could win at Kentucky, a school traditionally thought of as more of a basketball institution, and he succinctly answered, "Because of me."

"I know what it takes," he continued. "I have seen it at the highest levels. I know what it takes to recruit at this level. You just got to believe. Is it going to happen overnight? I don't know. I know the players that we can get here. I know we can recruit north, south and east. People come to Lexington and love it. The longer I live there, the more I am like, 'Wow, this place is incredible.' It's got everything that you want. You have to go attack. You can't sit back and wait. That's one thing I refuse to do at Kentucky is to wait."

It was a bold proclamation for someone who has never been a head coach and took the job after three years as Oregon's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. And given Kentucky's history—the team last won the SEC in 1976 and a college football championship in 1950—it was even bolder.

But there is reason for optimism. Former head coach Mark Stoops led the program to seven winning seasons in his 13 years (and two 10-win campaigns), so there's some precedent for a football rebirth. And Stein has clearly already impacted the culture around the team in a positive manner.

"The confidence has poured out into the rest of the team, into the rest of the coaching staff, and it's evident whenever you walk in the facility," transfer quarterback Kenny Minchey Jr. told reporters. "Guys are high energy—staff and players included. You can feel that we all have high aspirations this year, and we know the time is now, and we have the team to do it."