Kentucky HC Will Stein Urges Fans to 'Scream Obscenities' vs. Alabama, Wants 'Loudest' 65K Fans Ever

Kentucky head coach Will Stein is hoping a rowdy home crowd will welcome the Wildcats' first ranked opponent of the 2026 season.

Stein said in a Thursday appearance on Kentucky Sports Radio he wants fans to end tailgates early in order to start making noise in the stadium before Saturday's kickoff against No. 12 Alabama.

"We've got to be there during pregame warmups, pack Kroger Field, and then when kickoff happens it needs to be the loudest 65,000 group of people in the history of the world," Stein said.

Stein added he wants fans "standing up, screaming obscenities at our opponent, making them feel very unwanted in Kroger Field, and creating an environment of excellence for Kentucky football."

"You want to see a great product on the field? I want to see insane fans in the stands as well," Stein concluded.

Kentucky and Alabama are set to kick off in Lexington this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Stein shared a similar message during his opening message at Tuesday's press conference.

"They've got to take off work Monday because they can't talk, that's how loud I want this place to be," Stein said Tuesday.

Stein said Thursday on KSR he felt crowd noise could have a measurable impact on Kentucky's chances of claiming the program's first win over a ranked opponent since 2024.

"It disrupts the communication from the quarterback, from the play caller, from the offensive line. Creates false starts, creates penalties, delays of game," Stein said. "The more we can get at that, the better off we're going to be."

Stein, the youngest coach in the SEC, spent three seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Oregon before he was hired by Kentucky last December.

He made his head coaching debut when Kentucky opened the season last Saturday with a 45-17 win over Youngtown State.

Kroger Field reported 60,166 people were in attendance for the game, below the stadium's official football capacity of 61,000.

Stein is hoping to see that number climb against Alabama, which opened its own campaign last Saturday with more than 100,000 people in attendance for a 48-10 win over visiting East Carolina.

A victory over Alabama at home this weekend would put Kentucky on upset watch for the following week, when the Wildcats continue SEC play with a road game at No. 10 Texas A&M.