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NCAA, College League, USA Football: Kentucky Head Coach Will Stein Introductory press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz Dec 3, 2025 Lexington, KY, USA Kentucky Wildcats head football coach Will Stein poses for a photo with University of Kentucky President Dr. Eli Capilouto left and athletic director Mitch Barnhart right after his press conference at Nutter Field House. Lexington Nutter Field House KY USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJordanxPratherx 20251203_lbm_li0_016
Imago
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Kentucky Head Coach Will Stein Introductory press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz Dec 3, 2025 Lexington, KY, USA Kentucky Wildcats head football coach Will Stein poses for a photo with University of Kentucky President Dr. Eli Capilouto left and athletic director Mitch Barnhart right after his press conference at Nutter Field House. Lexington Nutter Field House KY USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJordanxPratherx 20251203_lbm_li0_016
Kentucky has been having a hard time landing big-time QBs. These recruits visit, talk about relationships, and then commit somewhere else. It’s been like that for over a decade. But the Wildcats are different in 2026 with a new head coach in Will Stein and a new OC in Joe Sloan. Still, it wouldn’t matter if they cannot close deals, but on Sunday, the script flipped.
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In a breaking announcement by Hayes Fawcett, Jake Nawrot, the nation’s No. 2 QB in the 2027 class, committed to Kentucky. The 6’4, 205-pounder out of Arlington Heights made it official, picking the Wildcats over a list that included Oregon, Iowa, Kansas State, Florida State, and more. As the QB himself admitted, the decision came down to the wire.
“I was between a couple of teams this morning. It was crazy,” he said. “God just put it on my heart, and I felt good to go. I am excited and ready to get there.”
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The news of his commitment came as a shocker for Oregon fans because just some weeks ago, Dan Lanning made a late push that raised expectations. Jake Nawrot had been to Eugene multiple times this spring, including a midweek visit that made plenty of insiders raise eyebrows. The Ducks came hard, and he wasn’t shy about how much he liked it either.
BREAKING: Elite 2027 QB Jake Nawrot has Committed to Kentucky, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’4 205 QB from Arlington Heights, IL is ranked as the No. 2 QB in the 2027 Rivals300
“Blessed for all of this! Ready to get to work! #BBN #SEC”⁰⁰https://t.co/ewuKYn8Mie pic.twitter.com/b6k7ZNctyq
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 12, 2026
“I loved Coach Lanning and every other coach that I was with,” Jake Nawrot told Steve Wiltfong. “Coach Koa (Kaiai), coach (Jay) Johnson, coach (Drew) Mehringer were also amazing. But I really loved watching Dante Moore and how he goes through his day and operates to play at such a high level.”
Oregon pitched development behind Dante Moore, but Kentucky offered an immediate SEC runway. Stein’s aggressive offensive scheme gave Nawrot a clear path, which ultimately tipped the scales away from Eugene.
“I had it in my heart to make it to this place,” he said. “Over the phone with Coach Sloan, I randomly had it in my gut to say I’m coming. Just like that, it was official. Now, it’s going everywhere.”
And when Jake Nawrot made it public, Big Blue Nation responded exactly how you’d expect.
“So many Kentucky people have reached out to me,” he revealed. “People have gone crazy. My phone has never blown up like this. It is good to know the place you are going that the people are excited for you. I am excited to visit and meet all the people.”
Jake Nawrot is trending like a future No. 1 because his rise has been meteoric. Just a year ago, he wasn’t in the national conversation, but a monster junior season, throwing for 3,078 yards and 41 touchdowns against just two interceptions, catapulted him to the nation’s No. 2 QB ranking and an invitation to the prestigious Elite 11 Finals. But he knows he needs to earn that trust.
“I never expected all this attention, and it is more attention than I need,” he added. “I have proven nothing yet at the college level, but I know this is all such a blessing and do not take any of it for granted.”
Perhaps the most interesting part of his story is how his football journey started.
From JV afterthought to SEC QB
Two years ago, Jake Nawrot was a JV football player. On the basketball side, he wasn’t starting varsity. In his own words, confidence wasn’t exactly overflowing.
“I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself,” he admitted.
That’s not something you usually hear from a future 5-star QB. But it’s also what makes his rise different because once his high school coach believed in him, everything changed.
“I went to work every single day trying to get better,” he said. “The results started to come, but I really didn’t realize I was that good, but my coach gave me assurances that I could play quarterback in the SEC, and now I have that chance.”
Now he’s committed to doing exactly that. And Kentucky, being the first SEC program to offer Jake Nawrot, back when he was still building himself into this version of a QB, won the edge.
“The atmosphere was different,” he said. “I think they really can go compete with anyone. When you feel good about a place and think you can go help change the culture and make it a football school, why not do it?”
Jake Nawrot even name-dropped his blueprint in Will Levis, who transferred from Penn State and led the Wildcats to a 10-win season in 2021. He was later picked in the second round during the 2023 NFL Draft. That level of self-expectation only adds fuel to the hype already surrounding him.
Written by
Edited by
Himanga Mahanta