Good morning. Mark here. Today we're breaking down Will Stein's hire at Kentucky, where every quarterback under his play-calling peaked and his entire Year 1 narrative runs through a transfer junior named Kenny Minchey. We're also looking at North Dakota State's jump to the Mountain West, a judge slamming the door on UCLA's embarrassing attempt to escape the Rose Bowl, and Arizona quietly locking in Brent Brennan and paying his staff like a program that expects to compete.

By the way, here's a fun factoid: Kentucky's all-time record against current SEC opponents is 169-393-20. Stein's job isn't to turn Kentucky into Alabama. It's to make that number stop getting worse. (Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here.)

The most dominant program in FCS history is moving up.

North Dakota State is joining the Mountain West as a football-only member starting in July. Nine national championships. A fan base that regularly sells out a 19,000-seat dome in Fargo. A brand that travels nationally.

Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez didn't hide her enthusiasm: "I've always had a crush on you guys."

Here's what makes this interesting. The Mountain West didn't add a program they could beat. They added a program that's going to compete immediately. Nevarez gave credit to the league's athletic directors for wanting a strong addition instead of an easy one.

The real question? Whether NDSU's FCS dominance translates to the FBS level. The resources, the recruiting, the weekly grind against bigger rosters. It's a different game. But if any FCS program has earned the right to find out, it's this one. [MORE HERE]

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge just denied UCLA's attempt to force arbitration in the Rose Bowl lawsuit. The case proceeds in open court.

The ruling was decisive. The arbitration clause in UCLA's lease is narrow. It covers disputes about stadium defects. It does not cover a university trying to walk away from a 40-year commitment entirely. The judge also denied motions from SoFi-related entities and blocked UCLA's attempt to quash discovery subpoenas.

Everything Pasadena asked for, Pasadena got.

Here's the background. UCLA has a lease to play football at the Rose Bowl through 2044. Hundreds of millions in taxpayer-backed renovations went into that stadium on the strength of that commitment. And instead of honoring it, the Bruins spent the last year quietly angling for a move to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

The part that tells you everything? UCLA never made an official announcement about staying for 2026. They just quietly listed the Rose Bowl as the home stadium on next season's schedule and offered season ticket renewals. No statement. No accountability. Just a silent retreat after getting hammered in court.

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo's response: "We continue to say Go Bruins."

They signed a deal through 2044. A judge just told them to honor it.

(Pasadena Now) (UCLA Wire)

Brent Brennan just got a two-year extension at Arizona. $4.7 million annually through 2030.

That's not the interesting part. The interesting part is what happened around him. Offensive coordinator Seth Doege and defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales both received extensions through 2028. And Arizona bumped its overall assistant salary pool to third-highest in the Big 12.

Third highest. In a conference with Colorado, Arizona State, and the rest of the league throwing money around like it's NIL season.

This is how you signal you're serious. You don't just extend the head coach. You lock in the coordinators. You pay the staff. You make it hard for other programs to pick your building apart one assistant at a time.

Brennan went 10-3 in Year 2. Arizona is clearly betting Year 3 gets better.

Arizona fans, hit “reply” and let me know what you think of this development.

[Tuscon.com][Wildcat Authority]

Frank Harris at UTSA. Bo Nix at Oregon (77.4%, the most accurate season in college football history). Dillon Gabriel. Dante Moore. Four quarterbacks. Four different skill sets. Four career peaks under the same play-caller.

That track record is why Kentucky hired him. That track record is why they’re paying $28.5 million.

Bo Nix had Oregon’s receiving corps. Dillon Gabriel had Oregon’s offensive line. The system worked because the supporting cast was already there.

At Kentucky, the expected starter (Cutter Boley) transferred to Arizona State. The projected QB1 is now Kenny Minchey, a junior transfer. The insurance policy is Matt Ponatoski, a 4-star signee. The offense ranked 105th nationally last season.

This is the test. Not Oregon talent. Not UTSA upside. A transfer quarterback at a program that forgot how to score. If Minchey takes a real step forward, the hire looks brilliant. If he doesn’t, every question about Stein gets louder.

The entire narrative of Year 1 runs through the quarterback room.

Read the full CHS Deep Dive: Will Stein to Kentucky (Hire Scorecard, Five-Pillar Composite, QB Room Breakdown, Hot Seat Outlook).

That's it for this week.

Quick reminder: Wednesday, February 12th at 4:00 pm Pacific / 7:00 pm Eastern, I'm going live on the Targeting Winners podcast for a full breakdown of the coaching landscape. Who's safe. Who's already in trouble. Who's set up to win before a single snap. Hit reply and send us your questions. We'll cover as many as we can.

On Friday, we're back with the next new hire coaching profile. Same scorecard. Same Five-Pillar Composite. Same honest assessment of who's built for survival and who's already on the clock.

See you then.

— Mark