When Kentucky hired Will Stein, Big Blue Nation immediately knew what he was bringing to the table on offense. But what about the defense?
Stein stated that he wanted an experienced defensive coordinator who was willing to match his aggressiveness on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Jay Bateman checked both of those boxes.
The senior member of Stein’s coaching staff, the 53-year-old’s two most recent stops were in the SEC. He helped Mike Elko build Texas A&M into a Top 10 defense in 2025. The Aggies ranked third in tackles for loss (110) and fourth in sacks (43). They hit those benchmarks because he’s not afraid to blitz, but as Bateman noted on Monday, you can’t do it all the time.
“If you never blitz, it becomes pretty easy to block those guys,” said the Kentucky defensive coordinator. “If you blitz all the time; I tell our guys all the time, blitzing and playing man is like salt. It makes everything taste really good, but it’s going to kill you eventually.”
There is a clear goal for this Kentucky defense. The Wildcats want to have a pressure rate of 40%. The easiest way to affect a quarterback’s throw is with the guys up front on the defensive line.
“You have to put them in a position where the front can rush. But then there becomes the addition of second and third-level defenders, and it’s like anything else, right? There’s value in pressure, but when you add somebody to the pass rush, you take someone away from coverage,” said Bateman.
Bateman must find the right balance when applying pressure to opponents. He struck the right one many times last year. Texas A&M was the nation’s top third-down defense, allowing opponents to only convert 22.8% of the time. Whether it’s with or without a blitz, Bateman’s message is clear: for Kentucky to win on the scoreboard, they must win on third down.
“It’s important to us,” said Bateman. “I tell them all the time: third down is the only down. If you play defense, your job is to get to third down and win third down. Last year we were really, really good at the last place, but I feel like our kids have embraced the challenge of playing third down.”