This offseason, the Kentucky Football fans got their wish as the Wildcats moved on from Mark Stoops after another disappointing season. Rather than going with a recycled head coach, Kentucky went out and landed arguably the best offensive coordinator on the market hiring Oregon's Will Stein. Hiring a rising star in the coaching world was a smart move, and one that should help long-term.
While the hiring of Will Stein has everyone excited, Kentucky fans should be thrilled with the staff he built as well. One of the most notable hires was hiring former LSU Offensive Coordinator Joe Sloan, who drew criticism from the Tigers fans, but the offensive line woes limited his playbook. Landing the coach who helped Jayden Daniels become the Heisman will only help with recruiting.
Kentucky is making a move on the Nation's top quarterback recruit
Pairing Will Stein and Joe Sloan together was always going to make Kentucky a sneaky contender for top quarterbacks, given the track record each has. In their first recruiting cycle at Kentucky, the Wildcats find themselves in the mix for the Nation's top quarterback, Elijah Haven, who's planning a visit to Lexington this Spring.
NEW: 5-Star QB Elijah Haven tells KSR+ he's eying a Kentucky visit this spring as Will Stein and Joe Sloan lead the charge.
— Jacob Polacheck (@PolacheckKSR) February 18, 2026
"They’re two of the best developers in the country in terms of the quarterback position."
He also details a commitment timeline.https://t.co/88IMw0IxA1 pic.twitter.com/hgGyh5Wpx8
According to Rivals Industry Recruiting Rankings, Elijah Haven is the 13th ranked player in the Country, the top ranked quarterback in the class, and the 2nd ranked player out of Louisiana. Given that Haven is from Louisiana, Joe Sloan had already built a relationship with the 5-star quarterback while he was recruiting him at LSU.
Winning out for Elijah Haven will be easier said than done, as Alabama, Florida, and others have all made strong pushes. Even if Kentucky doesn't win out for a player like Haven, seeing that 5-stars are drawn to Will Stein has to be a win, and if the team wins games, it will only continue.
Landing Elijah Haven would be game changing for a program that's lived in the middle to lower tier of the SEC. Will Stein and his staff will need to push for Haven, but the first step was getting his attention which the Wildcats have done.