The recruiting calendar has produced very little symmetry, thanks to changes in the college football calendar that seem to happen every single year. It also feels different for Kentucky football fans who are experiencing a shot in the arm with Will Stein‘s staff “waking ’em up and putting ’em to bed.”

No matter how much has changed, this is the time of year coaches spend on the road. They get a chance to ingratiate themselves with a player’s family and friends, before those players visit campus for official visits in June, with a wave of commitments that follows. The contact period started on April 15 and runs through May 23. Kentucky coaches have been from Arizona to Connecticut and everywhere in between over the last few weeks to see prominent prospects.

QB Jake Nawrot

When Kentucky spring practice concluded, Will Stein talked recruiting with Matt Jones. “Hey, we got this kid committed now, he’s good till December. F-that. It’s not. It’s not. You better still go like your hair’s on fire,” said the Kentucky head coach. “Just because we got an awesome QB, number two in the country, don’t think that everybody’s trying to still kind of talk to him. I mean, you’re crazy if you don’t think that’s true.”

That’s not just lip service. Last Wednesday, tight ends coach Justin Burke and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan made the trip to Illinois to spend time with QB Jake Nawrot and his family. Sloan was in town before Nawrot attended his senior prom, then played in his final spring 7v7 tournament.

TE Colt Lumpris

Kentucky has a couple of tight ends committed in the 2027 recruiting class, but the Cats still have their eyes on Colt Lumpris. The 6-foot-7 tight end committed to Alabama in December, but Sloan made the trip to Connecticut earlier this week to visit the four-star talent. Lumpris does not currently have an official visit to Kentucky on his summer calendar, but he does have a Kentucky knit cap to rock around Connecticut.

Lumpris spoke with Jacob Polacheck on Tuesday night and told KSR+ that he has scheduled an official visit to Kentucky for June 12-14.

DL Xavier Muhammad

Kentucky is not shying away from the Lone Star State. This coaching staff has plenty of connections to Texas, and on Monday, Anwar Stewart brought Kentucky blue to Houston to see Xavier Muhammad. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive lineman is one of the ten best at his position, ranked as the No. 102 overall player in the 2027 class by the Rivals Industry Rankings. Also a standout in basketball and track, Michigan, Miami, Missouri, and Notre Dame are also very active in his recruitment.

CB Miles Brown

The other recruiting services have yet to catch on to Miles Brown, but Rivals ranks the 6-foot-1 cornerback from Martin, TN, as the No. 30 cornerback in his class and No. 233 player overall. Cornerbacks coach Allen Brown was in Tennessee today to catch up with Brown.

[KSR+ Will Stein’s staff is pushing hard to close with top targets]

T.K. Cunningham

Kentucky EDGE coach Tony Washington Jr. is leaving no stone unturned as he seeks out talented pass-rushers from across the country. It took him to Arizona last Friday, where Washington visited with T.K. Cunningham. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound prospect is considered a three-star prospect. Cunningham has an official visit to Kentucky scheduled for June 12. During his time in Arizona, Washington also checked in on another three-star EDGE, Davian Whitener.

This is just a short list of some of the trips this Kentucky football coaching staff has taken recently. There will be many more before the contact period closes in 2.5 weeks.