SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 20, 2026

Kenny Minchey

Kentucky Wildcats

Press Conference

Q. You didn't throw many passes in college so far, but what did you learn in that short time?

KENNY MINCHEY: I feel like I've learned how to prepare for a game, for a season. Every year since I've been a freshman, where I'm at on the depth chart, I feel like I still try to prepare like the starter. So I feel like I've learned how to go into a week prepared. I feel like that's the biggest thing, because the only thing that matters is Saturdays.

Being able to be ready for a game that's coming up on Saturday and understand what the defense is doing and understand what we're doing as an offense.

Q. Growing up where you did, that was SEC country, what made you go to Notre Dame? And as an SEC fan in your life, what struck you about the conference?

KENNY MINCHEY: Going to Notre Dame out of high school, it was just a decision that was best for me and my family and my situation. And then obviously coming to Kentucky, coming to the SEC, I just think it was a great opportunity.

In high school, I played some good competition, and I want to do the same thing in college. Coming to go the SEC, they've got the best players. So I want to come play against the best and play with the best, and that's what I'm doing.

Q. You had the opportunity to go to the Manning Passing Academy. What was that experience like to you? And also meeting some of your peer quarterbacks, in particular, Marcel Reed, what were your impressions of him?

KENNY MINCHEY: It was a great experience being able to see some guys I played with in the past, Steve Angeli, CJ Carr, see some guys that I met in high school. It was good to see some old friends. And just to experience as a whole, it was really fun being able to coach.

It was my first time actually coaching. I've never done any sort of coaching before. So it was really cool to meet the kids and be able to teach them because they kept preaching to us that these kids look up to us and these kids value us. So being able to coach them and try to make them better quarterbacks.

And then also learning from Peyton and Eli, being able to sit down with them and listen to what they had to say about basically earn the spot on a team at the next level and being able to hold onto that spot, and then simple things like week-to-week preparation, game-week preparation. So it was a good experience.

Q. Has anything surprised you since coming to Kentucky?

KENNY MINCHEY: I can't say any surprises. One thing I will say is like the connection on the team coming in, I feel like -- I thought I was going to be kind of like an odd ball out in terms of having to meet everyone, learn everyone's name and be kind of like the new guy, which I still have to do, still have to meet everybody on the staff and on the team.

But it was a new team. A lot of new coaches, except for one. So everybody was in the same boat as me, same situation as me. So it made it a little bit easier, just with everyone kind of doing the same thing in terms of meeting teammates, learning who guys are, learning about guys, spending time with guys.

And it was a very smooth transition in terms of people, which I feel like I valued and noticed the most in my first few months here.

Q. To follow up on that, what's been your favorite part about Lexington so far?

KENNY MINCHEY: I would say the weather. I'm from Nashville. It's only about three hours away from door to door. So it's what I'm used to in terms of growing up, the summer's a little hot. But I'm used to the heat. And then the cold, not being too cold in the winter, except for the snowstorm we had in February this year in Lexington. But other than that, just the weather.

Q. What is your impression of Will Stein and the offense with Kentucky?

KENNY MINCHEY: Initial impression of Will Stein is his energy on the phone, and then being able to meet him in person when I first got to Lexington, that was the first thing I noticed was his energy.

Charisma, just how much he cared about football and about people. I could tell he cared about me and my family. I could tell he cared about the other guys that he was getting in the portal, the guys who are on the team.

And then also just as a football coach. He's a great leader. I know people like to talk about him being a first-year head coach and all that stuff, but he definitely knows how to lead and knows how to rally some troops, which I've noticed for sure.

And then on the football side, he's really smart. Comes from a good background. In terms of coaching, he's really -- he's pretty young. I don't know how old he is, but he's pretty young. But he's coached a lot of football and called a lot of plays.

And I'm just excited that he's my head coach and I'm being able to play under a guy like him.

Q. At Notre Dame, you got to see, a couple years, see them play Texas A&M. From your vantage point, what you saw from that team and is it a team that you had an opportunity to play this year?

KENNY MINCHEY: Can you repeat the question?

Q. At Notre Dame, you saw Texas A&M. Just kind of what were your impressions watching Notre Dame play the Aggies and as you get ready to play them this year?

KENNY MINCHEY: It's been the same coaches for the most part over there. So in terms of schemes, I could say I've definitely seen that before.

And then also their defensive coordinator coming to coach for the Wildcats. I see that. I see that scheme and that defense every day in practice.

But playing them the past two years, one at home and one away, I can say I've been to their stadium before. So I know what the atmosphere is like.

Q. Obviously team goals are the most important. What individual goals are you aspiring for to help the team win?

KENNY MINCHEY: I can't say I've thought too much about real individual goals. I feel like my mindset is just, like you said, on the team going 1-0 against Youngstown State. But individually, I'll say just doing my job and doing whatever it takes to win and just being an efficient quarterback.

Q. We covered Joe Sloan when he was coaching with LSU and now he's your offensive coordinator. What are your thoughts on him so far? And how has he helped you develop?

KENNY MINCHEY: Coach Sloan is a great guy. He's one of the main reasons that I'm at Kentucky. Kind of like Stein, he's a great guy, a great person to be around. A lot of energy, and he loves football.

Obviously really smart. He's coached some really good quarterbacks in the past, and he knows what he's doing. So being able to learn under a guy like that who's coached football, and then also coached some really good quarterbacks, which is obviously the position I play. So I want to play under people who have done it before.

Q. Going back to earlier, you said you had been to College Station, so you kind of knew what the environment, atmosphere was like. What was that atmosphere like?

KENNY MINCHEY: It was cool. When I was at my previous school, we got to play at a few SEC stadiums. So it was a really cool experience. It was fun. It was lively.

Obviously it was -- I don't know what the teams were ranked at the time -- but I know it was a pretty hyped-up game. It was the first game of the season, I think, in 2024. So it was very hyped up, live atmosphere, a lot of fans. Just a good time.

Q. When you're standing in the tunnel for the first time in Lexington, are you going to have a goosebump moment?

KENNY MINCHEY: For sure. I think I'll definitely have some nerves, some goosebumps, all the way up until after the first play. That's generally how it always goes for me.

And I feel like, you know, most other footballs who actually care about the game and who love the game, everybody's going to be a little bit nervous going out.

Whether it's the first game of the season or it's week 12, you're still going to be a little nervous going out, going out on the field, but I think after the first play, the goosebumps will go away.