It always sucks when you can’t have some of your best players out on the field, but that won’t be the case any longer, as Kentucky’s Will Stein confirmed on Tuesday, Sept. 8 that the entire roster will be healthy heading into the team’s matchup with No. 13 Alabama.

“Just a little recap after this past Saturday, (we) came out healthy, which is good,” Stein said. “I’m expecting us to be at full-strength for this game, which is really exciting as well for us as a team.”

Straight forward as ever, this means that the Big Blue Nation will get to see some new faces make their debuts with the Wildcats against the Crimson Tide.

On Sept. 5, Kentucky missed out on Oklahoma transfer running back Jovantae Barnes, who certainly will get a huge workload alongside CJ Baxter and Jason Patterson. Stein has been vocal about how important depth is and this addition does nothing but help that case.

The new-look Wildcats also played without both starting cornerbacks Hasaan Sykes and Terhyon Nichols, making the fans who criticized the secondary a little happier now that they’ll be playing in week two.

Starting offensive tackle Malachi Wood didn’t get the nod to play as well, yet another body that can be added to the Big Blue Wall this coming Saturday.

Of course, history is not on the Wildcats’ side, as they haven’t took down the Crimson Tide since 1997, when Stein was around eight years old for reference. This time around, Stein is the head coach and his team is ready to rock and roll at 100% roster health.

Kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 12 is set for 3:30 p.m. ET from Kroger Field, streaming live on ABC.

Kentucky Football opened up the 2026 season with a 45-13 win over Youngstown State on Saturday, Sept. 5 and the electric offense fans have been waiting for was on full display.

This surge included Willie Rodriguez, a junior tight end, who has been a major talking point amongst the Big Blue Nation this offseason. Saturday’s performance showed exactly why this is the case, where Rodriguez recorded four receptions for 48 yards and scored his first touchdown of his junior campaign.

From wishbone formation to lining up in the slot, Rodriguez was all over the field, making splash play after splash play for the Wildcats when they needed it the most.

Rodriguez expressed his excitement about the new offense under Will Stein after the game, stating that the new versatility is a key to success.

“I think there’s just so much that goes into our offense and we have so many different weapons,” Rodriguez said. “I think when we play clean and execute like we did today, a lot of good things can happen from that and we have the players to do – they make the calls, and we make the plays.”

If Kentucky wants to reach their goals and aspirations this season, they will need Rodriguez to continue to prosper in this new-look offense.

Up next, the Wildcats will host the No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, Sept. 12. The once prestigious program is favored by -10.5 points early and is looking to keep its dominant winning streak against the Wildcats alive. 

Kickoff from Kroger Field is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC/Disney+. Both “SEC Nation” and “Marty & McGee” will be on-site before the week two conference matchup.

Football is in the air and the Big Blue Nation certainly showed how much they missed it, filling up Kroger Field in all-white attire for the first game of the Will Stein era.

With J Batt and Mark Pope in attendance, throwing footballs and shaking hands, vibes were high in Lexington on Saturday, Sept. 5, feeling foreign but at the same time, encouraging.

Kentucky pulled off a 45-13 win, taking down the Youngstown State Penguins to start the season with a 1-0 record. The Wildcats came out red hot, going 80 yards in the opening drive in just over three minutes of game time. Runningback CJ Baxter ran in a 15-yard touchdown to cap it off, putting Stein’s team up 7-0 early.

After forcing a punt, Joe Sloan would help move the offense right back down to the endzone, handing the ball off to Baxter for his second touchdown of the day.

At this point, fans and the media could shake hands and agree that the makeup around this new-look football team felt drastically different from what it was just this time last year.

With that being said, the fun wouldn’t stop at Kroger Field for some time, with the white-shirted stands roaring after a fourth down stop by the blue and white. Spilling into the second quarter, quarterback Kenny Minchey would connect with Mikkel Skinner on a 10-yard touchdown pass – Minchey’s first as a Wildcat and Skinner’s first of his career.

On the next offensive drive, Stein’s team would be forced to punt for the first time of the day, but a muffed catch was recovered by senior Ty Bryant, giving Kentucky a “free” 45 yards and putting them in prime position to score again.

The Cats would do exactly that, with Minchey hitting tight end Willie Rodriguez for his first touchdown of the season after racking up the yards en route.

Youngstown State would finally get on the board as the time expired in the half, going 75 yards in only 12 plays. Regardless, the Wildcats held a strong 28-7 lead at the break.

As expected, the gameplan out of halftime was simple: run the da*n ball and drain the clock. That’s all there is to it, and that’s all that was done, with the defense keeping the visitors stagnant.

Waking the crowd up a bit, true freshman Prince Jean would catch his first collegiate ball, turning it into a 26-yard endzone trip. After the hype celebration, Minchey would jog off the field with his young wideout after throwing his third passing touchdown of the day.

The only other exciting moment would be yet another passing touchdown from Minchey, hitting yet another freshman wideout, this time Kenny Darby, for a deep, 37-yard bomb.

As time expired, what was left of the Big Blue Nation cheered in proud excitement.

Up next, the Wildcats will host the No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, Sept. 12. The once prestigious program is favored by -10.5 points early and is looking to keep its dominant winning streak against the Wildcats alive.

Kickoff from Kroger Field is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC/Disney+. Both “SEC Nation” and “Marty & McGee” will be on-site before the week two conference matchup.