UK FOOTBALL: Stein, Rodriguez, Bryant among Cats to earn midseason recognition

(LEX 18) — Kentucky football continues to be the talk of the college football town, with the Wildcats currently tied for first place in the SEC, involved in the College Football Playoff conversation, and sitting at 6-1 under a first-year head coach for the first time since Alpha Brumage began his tenure in 1913.

UK has won five-straight games for the first time since 2023, including four-straight SEC games for the first time since 2021. Kentucky's current three-game winning streak on the road is the first such stretch since 2009; the Cats have earned three-straight wins despite trailing in the fourth quarter for only the second time in program history, the first since 2006.

Before they've even hit the bye week, UK football is bowl eligible. Big Blue Nation continues to sell out Kroger Field, and the come-from-behind victories have propelled the program into the national spotlight.

These Cats just keep making history.

For the remarkable turn around in his first season at the helm, UK football head coach Will Stein is On3's Midseason National Coach of the Year, earning the nod over UCLA’s Bob Chesney, Utah‘s Morgan Scalley and BYU‘s Kalani Sitake.

"Our mentality is really like: the bull don't care," Stein said when asked about his team's process this week, following another dramatic win on the road." It doesn't matter what you did last week. What's to come? It's literally about today and our preparation."

Stein has also been selected to the Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year Award watch list, named for the legendary head coach who led the Wildcats from 1946-'53.

Photo by Jacob Noger | UK Athletics

The National Coach of the Year Award is one of five honors presented annually during the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Ceremony, presented by Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, Texas. This year’s ceremony, in its 41st year, will be held on Jan. 27, 2027, in Houston and will air on CBS Sports Network.

"If you worry about what's on the outside, then you get embarrassed and exposed on Saturday," Stein continued. "So we just keep the main thing the main thing, and that's practice and our preparation and playing great on Saturdays."

His players have done just that, and several have now been rewarded with midseason recognition of their own.

Junior tight end Willie Rodriguez is a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, which honors players with a record of leadership, courage, integrity and sportsmanship.

"I think it's awesome, you know, doing things throughout the community, trying to help others," Rodriguez told BBN Tonight cohost, Keith Farmer. "In the position I'm in as a college football player, I think it's everything I should be doing, just trying to spread that positivity throughout the community."

Elliott Hess | UK Athletics

Senior safety Ty Bryant is a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, which is given to the sport's premier example of on- and off-field performance. Also known as the "Academic Heisman," the Campbell Trophy is awarded by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Bryant graduated from UK with a degree in communication last May, and currently has a 3.83 GPA while working toward a second degree in psychology.

"It meant a lot," Bryant told local reporters Wednesday afternoon, after Stein shared the news with the team. "As soon as I saw it on the screen, I was like, 'Oh snap, I think I know exactly where this is going. But yes, it was fun just to be able to be a finalist for the award."

The five-time member of the UK Dean's List is also serving on UK's Student-Athlete Advisory Council and the SEC's Football Leadership Council. He's currently tied for second in the SEC in total interceptions, with three takeaways through the first seven games.

Photo by Eddie Justice | UK Athletics

Second, only to his own teammate. Fellow Kentucky safety Jordan Castell leads the league with four interceptions on the season. He's also Kentucky's second-leading tackler, and ranks sixth in the conference with 8.14 tackles per game.

The Florida transfer picked up a plethora of honors this week, following an incredible showing in Norman. The Orlando native intercepted a pair of passes in critical moments during UK’s 21-13 victory at Oklahoma, while also adding nine tackles and a pass breakup.

Castell helped limit the Sooners to 13 points, ten fewer than the team's season-long average.

For the performance, Castell has earned the following: the SEC Defensive Player of the Week, the Senior Bowl National Defensive Player of the Week, the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week (announced by the National College Football Awards Association), the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week (announced by the Football Writers Association of America), the Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week (announced by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

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The team returns to Kroger Field this Saturday for a sold-out game against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network, while Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro and Dick Gabriel will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.

For more on Kentucky football and all of the Wildcats, watch BBN Tonight weeknights at 7:30 p.m. and BBN Gameday Saturdays at 9 a.m. on the official station of UK Athletics, LEX 18.

Coverage is also available in central Kentucky on LEX36 and streaming on BBNTonight.com

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