Will Stein is somehow still adding firepower ahead of his looming first kickoff at Kentucky

The recruiting landscape across college athletics as a whole is blown open to a degree such as it has never been before. Players are committing, decommitting, flipping, and, all the while, posting about the whole process online for all to see. For Will Stein to have any success at all out of the gates with Kentucky is a real miracle.

But the Cats head coach continues to find ways to top himself, even on a smaller scale. Per KSR, Stein has added his second JUCO transfer of the week to the Wildcats' current roster. Jordan Colbert has officially committed to Kentucky, bolstering the Cats' backfield depth ahead of this fall.

After securing a pledge from Ahmir Smith on Monday, who will have three years of eligibility remaining in Lexington, Stein doubled down on this route in snagging up Colbert. While Colbert was added late and looks like a measure of safety, he's got the proven tools to make an eventual impact.

Jordan Colbert Has the Tools to Make an Impact

Colbert spent his last season at Fresno City College, where the stocky, 6-foot-2 back tallied 602 yards and seven touchdowns throughout his campaign. His 7.4 yards per rush look particularly promising, even coming out of the JUCO scene.

Before touching down (literally and figuratively) in Fresno City, Colbert had the chance to walk-on for the Wisconsin Badgers. Of course, passing on that opportunity landed him his newest gig in Lexington. That's how betting on yourself works, I suppose.

Stein has spent most of this offseason, in a roundabout way, preparing for the next one. Kentucky's 2027 class has consistently made top 25 lists nationwide. But even so, the squad he's put together for his inaugural year has plenty to write home about, and the backfield has been a clear point of emphasis.

Stein has Emphasized Kentucky's Backfield

On top of his two JUCO pickups in Smith and Colbert, Stein pulling in backs Jovantae Barnes and CJ Baxter (from Oklahoma and Texas, respectively) early on was an quick tell that he was taking the running back room seriously.

Now, Kentucky usually takes that room seriously, but it's a better situation in Stein's case given that he's also assembled a capable offense in other facets. Gone are the days where the Wildcats have no other reliable option than to run the ball 40 times per contest... I think.

I know declaring all of this before Stein coaches his first game is basically pointless, but he's hard far too successful (and too fun) a summer to ignore completely. This is a solid group, and one that Coach Stein appears to be intent on growing all the way up to kickoff in September.

Fine by me, coach, fine by me.

Today's best reads

• Will Stein's one reason for taking the Kentucky job is all fans have ever wanted
• Kentucky's Kroger Field isn't getting near enough credit amongst other SEC stadiums
• Kentucky's Kenny Minchey is embracing the SEC grind that few players are able to handle
• Will Stein just set the bar at the national championship level for Kentucky Football fans
• Matt Ponatoski stuns, picking Kentucky over a hometown run with the Cincinnati Reds

This article was originally published on wildcatbluenation.com as Will Stein is somehow still adding firepower ahead of his looming first kickoff at Kentucky.