Will Stein didn't leave his recruiting instincts in Eugene. The new Kentucky Wildcats head coach spent three seasons building the Oregon Ducks roster with a heavy dose of West Coast talent as the Ducks' offensive coordinator, and now that he's running his own program in the SEC, there's no reason to think that blueprint changes. Stein knows the terrain, he knows the camps, and he knows that in Southern California, the buzz starts earlier than almost anywhere else in the country.
Case in point: Kaleb "KJ" Herndon hasn't played a single down of high school football yet, and college coaches are already lining up for him.
Herndon, an edge rusher out of Rancho Santa Margarita who will begin his prep career this fall at Santa Margarita Catholic, is a name Big Blue Nation should file away now. He's not a name Kentucky has to reach for blindly, either—Herndon's recruitment has already run through Stein's old stomping grounds. Oregon was the first major program to offer him, and by his own account it's still the offer that means the most.
The measurables jump off the page
Kaleb Herndon already has offers from Oregon, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and many more before even entering high school 🤯 @herndonnnn
He was the only 8th grader competing at UA Next Camp in LA and he fit right in. So impressive 🔥 #UANextpic.twitter.com/GcvO1D4fby
Listed at 6 foot 5 and 235 pounds as an incoming freshman, Herndon already looks the part of a Power Four edge rusher—before he's set foot in a varsity huddle. He'll do it in the Trinity League, widely regarded as the toughest high school football conference in the country, against programs that churn out Power Four and NFL talent on an annual basis. That's the level Stein and his staff will be evaluating him against as he grows into his frame.
A middle schooler holding his own with the big kids
This spring, Herndon was the only 2030 prospect invited to the Under Armour Next Camp Series regional in Los Angeles, where he lined up across from some of the top 2027 offensive tackles in the country—high schoolers three grades ahead of him. He didn't win every rep, and he wouldn't be expected to at his age, but he held his own often enough to flash the pass-rush instincts, length, and motor that have college recruiting departments circling a kid who can't even drive yet.
The offers have followed accordingly. Herndon fielded six scholarship offers in a single four-day stretch this spring alone, a pace that has turned him into one of the most talked-about names in the country at his age group.
The offer list already reads like a top-25 board
Oregon leads the way, but it's not alone. Herndon holds offers from USC, UCLA, Texas A&M, Miami, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, SMU, and San Diego State, among others—a list that will only keep growing as more staffs get eyes on him in person. Lincoln Riley and USC hosted Herndon on campus this summer, and the visits aren't likely to slow down anytime soon.
Why Kentucky should be paying attention
This is exactly the prototype Kentucky's Edge coach Tony Washington, Jr. who is a Cali native has made a career out of getting right long, twitchy edge rushers who project favorably once a strength program gets hold of them. He doesn't have to be in the building at Santa Margarita Catholic to know what he's looking at on tape. Kentucky doesn't have an offer out to Herndon yet, and there's no rush to be first given how much runway is left in his recruitment. But if Stein's x Washington California pipeline is going to hold up in the SEC the way it did in the Big Ten, keeping tabs on names like KJ Herndon early is exactly how it gets built.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky's Will Stein could target 2030 edge with massive potential
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