On the recruiting trail, Will Stein has built a dual reputation: not only as a coach who can win the close, hard-fought battles, but also as one willing to play aggressively—even swiping a prospect from right under another school’s nose.
Recently, Stein flipped tight end Trae “Tank” Proctor from his commitment to Auburn, sending mild shockwaves through the SEC and marking a public resurgence for Kentucky Football. He aimed to pull off a similar move later this summer, but one recruit has now firmly shut that door.
According to Chad Simmons on X, four-star offensive lineman Jatori Williams (2027)—who had a visit scheduled to Lexington for late next month—appears to have ended any chance of a Stein turnaround. Williams’s own words are blunt: “My recruitment is shut down.” And that, it seems, is that.
Jatori Williams Closes the Door
Williams, also pursued by Georgia, Alabama, and Florida State, isn’t entertaining any of those elite programs following his pledge to Miami. For what it’s worth, Kentucky isn’t alone in losing its shot to change his mind.
Still, it’s a striking sign of how far Kentucky Football has come in a short time that Stein had the Wildcats going toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs, Crimson Tide, and Seminoles. Given that two of those three are regular opponents on Kentucky’s schedule, Wildcats fans can at least take solace that neither conference rival landed Williams.
And while this isn’t a flashy, star-studded recruit, Williams’s status as a coveted lineman would have gone a long way toward rebuilding the offense’s occasionally inconsistent “Big Blue Wall.”
The Brighter Side
At 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, it’s easy to see why Stein fought hard for such a powerful, high-upside player on his preferred side of the ball.
On the positive side—even if it’s not exactly dazzling—Kentucky still has three offensive line commitments in the 2027 class: Ian Walker, Brady Hull, and Matthias Burrell. All are three-star prospects, but it’s a promising early foundation.
For all of Stein’s recruiting success since his December hiring, a few misses are inevitable—especially in Year 1. Kentucky remains on the fringe of the top 10 in the 2027–28 class rankings, and Stein continues to be one of the fastest-rising names in college football.
For Cats fans, this is a “that stinks… anyway” situation. In my view, BBN can trust the process with Coach Stein until he gives them real reasons not to.
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