In the world of football, the state of Texas has always been known as a powerhouse. 

With more than 1,500 high school programs and 23 Division I football programs, Texas is football country.

Home to the richest college program in the country with the University of Texas, two NFL teams, 11 Heisman winners and the home state of more than 300 active NFL players, the numbers speak for themselves.

The Lone Star State produces champions and top football talent at the high school and college level — and Will Stein is tapping into that pipeline, building his first Kentucky football team with significant ties to Texas.

Stein is as familiar as anyone with the talent the state produces, having coached at both the high school and college levels in Texas during his career. 

After spending two years at Louisville, first as a graduate assistant and then the quarterbacks coach, Stein was offered a job in 2015 at one of the most prestigious football programs in the country — Texas.

In his second year as head coach, Charlie Strong brought Stein on as quarterbacks coach for the burnt orange and white.

Stein remained with the Longhorns through 2017, developing quarterbacks such as Tyrone Swoops, Shane Buechele and most notably, current Denver Broncos backup quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

In 2018, Stein accepted a new job that, on paper, looked like a step down — a high school offensive coordinator position.

But if you know anything about Texas, you know high school football is anything but ordinary. 

Stein landed at Lake Travis, one of the most dominant programs in the country, where Friday night lights are as important and anticipated as the games played on Saturday.

Lake Travis is regarded as one of, if not the best, quarterback development schools in high school football.

The Cavaliers boast a loaded alumni list that includes 2017 Heisman Trophy winner and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, as well as former NFL quarterback Garrett Gilbert.

Beyond the star power, Lake Travis has produced 10 straight quarterbacks who earned Division I scholarships.

However, Stein was also part of one of the most loaded rosters in the nation, led by standout wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who went on to star at Ohio State and become a top-10 NFL Draft pick.

More specifically, Stein was the quarterback’s coach and developed Hudson Card, who spent three seasons with the Texas Longhorns before transferring to Purdue.

After leading the Cavaliers to a state semifinal appearance, Stein returned to the college level, heading to UTSA, where he spent two seasons with the Roadrunners. 

Stein has seen — and helped develop — the kind of talent Texas consistently produces, and in his first season at Kentucky, it seems he’s bringing plenty of Lone Star State influence to the Bluegrass.

On his staff alone, Stein has five colleagues who have coached in Texas. 

Jay Bateman, the Cats’ new defensive coordinator, spent last season as the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M.

Justin Burke, who served as an offensive quality control coach at Texas with Stein, most recently served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UTSA and joined Kentucky as the tight ends coach.

Parker Fleming, Kentucky’s special teams coordinator/inside wide receivers coach, spent one season at Texas State, while the Cats’ safeties coach, Josh Christian Young, spent last season in the same role with the Houston Cougars.

Joe Price III, the wide receivers coach, has an interesting history not only with Texas but with Stein himself.

Alongside Burke, Price spent last season at UTSA as associate head coach, pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

However, from 2014-18, Price was coaching at the high school level.

As the passing game coordinator, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at North Shore High School, Price helped lead the Mustangs to the 2018 Class 6A Division I state championship — defeating Stein’s Lake Travis team in the state semifinals.

The Texas-experienced staff is accompanied by a roster filled with Lone Star State ties, featuring both high school products from Texas and transfers from Division I programs in the state.

11 players currently on the Cats’ roster played high school football in Texas.

Five transferred from Division I programs in the state, with three of those transfers playing both high school and college ball in Texas.

Incoming freshman wide receiver Isaiah McMillan and LSU wide receiver transfer Nic Anderson both come out of Katy, Texas, spending four seasons at Katy High School.

Mississippi State defensive back transfer Cyrus Reyes also comes out of Katy, but played at rival Taylor High School.

One of Kentucky’s top incoming recruits, defensive end/edge Ben Duncum, comes from Austin and Stein’s old stomping grounds at Lake Travis.

Only 30 minutes south of Lake Travis, FAU quarterback transfer Carson Curver played at St. Michael’s.

Wide receiver Ashton Cozart grew up in Flower Mound, Texas, and while he spent his redshirt freshman season at Oregon, he returned to his home state, spending a season at SMU, just 30 minutes from his hometown, before transferring to Kentucky last season.

Wide receivers Ja’Kayden Ferguson and Davis McCray are also from the Lone Star State.

Ferguson, a transfer from Arkansas, grew up in Houston, while incoming freshman McCray comes from San Antonio.

Three members of Kentucky’s new and improved, top-ranked Big Blue Wall come from the state.

Tennessee transfer Max Anderson comes from Frisco, Texas, and is joined by Senior Coleton Price, who grew up in Bowie, Texas, and transferred to UK after spending the first three seasons of his college career at Baylor in Waco, Texas, just two hours south of his hometown.

Mark Robinson, another member of the Big Blue Wall, did not grow up in Texas but spent his last collegiate season in the state, playing at UTEP.

Similar to Price, one of Kentucky’s top incoming transfers, Elijah “Bo” Barnes, spent his entire career in the Lone Star State.

Growing up in Dallas, Texas, the former five-star linebacker committed to Texas, spending one season with the Longhorns before choosing the Cats.

Barnes is also joined by his former Texas teammate Cedric “CJ” Baxter in this year’s transfer class.

Last season, Kentucky had just three players from Texas. This season, that number has jumped to 11.

The transfer trend tells the same story — the Wildcats brought in two transfers from Texas colleges a year ago, and now that number is up to five.

Whether the Texas influence was intentional or simply the way the roster fell into place, there is a clear pattern: Will Stein’s ties to the Lone Star State have followed him to Lexington, and the Cats are starting a new era with more Texas roots than ever.