Despite being a national powerhouse, Kalen DeBoer and Alabama are having a hard time keeping one of their top recruits from the class of 2027, tight end Will Colt Lumpris. The word is, despite giving his loyalty pledge to Alabama back in December, the New Jersey native made a trip to Lexington to talk business with a first-year head coach. And boy, it’s not looking good for Alabama’s head honcho.

On April 4th, Colt visited Will Stein’s Kentucky Wildcats for a weekend trip. It actually made him question his commitment choice. When asked about the experience compared to Tuscaloosa, he gave a one-liner: “It’s very different here.” He doubled down, noting that the trip far exceeded his expectations and gave him new thoughts about how he fits into their long-term culture.

Colt is one big-bodied tight end, standing tall at 6’7″ and weighing 235 pounds. He plays for The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and is easily one of the most-wanted players in the 2027 class. Will Stein always has a ‘type’ when it comes to his offense, and that type is big, athletic tight ends who can do a bit of everything. During his three seasons of pass-heavy Oregon (2023–2025), he made them a core part of the passing game, not just timid blockers. That’s exactly what he has in mind for the Alabama commit.

Stein’s track record at Oregon proves that his tight ends aren’t just extra blockers but featured red-zone targets. Seeing that pass-heavy philosophy transition into Lexington’s new playbook gave Lumpris a clear vision for early targets, instantly complicating his Alabama pledge.

The main reason why Will Stein might actually succeed here is that things have changed at Alabama. Colt originally picked the Crimson Tide because he was very close with their tight ends coach, Bryan Ellis. But recently, Coach Ellis moved to a new role coaching quarterbacks after they brought in Richard Owens (formerly of Louisville) as their new tight ends coach.

Kalen DeBoer’s decision to shuffle his offensive staff unintentionally gave Kentucky the perfect opening. With Bryan Ellis shifting to quarterbacks, Lumpris lost his primary recruiter and the specific positional coach he originally trusted, turning a firm December commitment into an open recruitment.

He explicitly stated, “I was pretty set with Alabama until there was a coaching change.”

Will Stein and Kentucky’s tight ends coach, Justin Burke, saw this opening and had to roll the dice on the nation’s arguably best tight end.

On the field, Colt is as good a multi-sport athlete as anybody in the country. He’s also a standout in lacrosse and basketball. Last season alone, he put up monster numbers with 44 catches for 812 yards and 8 touchdowns in only about nine games, along with playing two other sports.

Even though Kentucky has the momentum right now, the battle is far from over. Other big schools like Michigan, Penn State, and Washington are pushing hard to flip him, too. Michigan already has an official visit scheduled with him for June 5. Penn State wants to keep the local star in the Northeast. Florida and Texas A&M are also trying to get their hands on him. For now, Kentucky has successfully put itself at the top of its list.

Not going to lie, visiting another program while committed to one program has never ended well for anybody in the NIL era. And with coaching changes and a couple of visits lined up, the chances of him staying Crimson and white are a little low. Kalen DeBoer and the new TE coach might actually need to keep out-recruiting hard through the summer to beat out these other powerhouse programs just to have a chance.

How Will Stein is changing the Wildcats’ recruiting trajectory

Recruiting analysts have noted a buzz around Lexington that hasn’t been seen in years, especially not in Mark Stoop’s tenure. One of the many reasons is that Kentucky is moving away from its defense-first identity after a decade now. On top of that, he’s using his reputation as a “quarterback whisperer” from his time at Oregon to show recruits they can come to Lexington and play in a high-flying offense, very similar to Eugene.

The 2027 class is the first true test of this new ‘high-flying’ offense philosophy, and surprisingly, results are already showing up in the rankings. Kentucky currently sits at No. 29 nationally and 8th in the SEC with five solid commitments.

Based on their recent recruiting weekends, it’s only going to get better. The staff just hosted a star-studded weekend with over 17 four-star prospects. Basically, Stein is leveraging pre-existing relationships to turn Kentucky into a player in talent-rich areas like Texas, South Florida, and the DMV.

Not only that, Kentucky is now a finalist for the top 10 passers. After they narrowly missed on No. 2 QB Israel Abrams to Miami, they remain “target numero uno” for elite 2027 QB Andre Adams, who is set to announce his decision on April 11. On3’s RPM gives the Kentucky Wildcats a 92.4% chance. With the way he’s recruiting, he’s making it very difficult for top-tier athletes to say no. It’s only a matter of time before the Wildcats climb the ranks in wins and the recruiting world.