LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky football announced the addition of four new members to head coach Will Stein's staff as the program continues building for its 2026 season debut.

The additions include Dillon Sanders as inside linebackers coach, Rob Snyder as assistant defensive line coach, Leah Barnard as assistant director of recruiting, and John "Hova" Herron as acquisition coordinator.

Sanders, returning for his second stint with the Wildcats, previously served as a defensive assistant from 2016 to 2018. Most recently, he was defensive coordinator at Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee, and spent four seasons at Murray State as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach under Dean Hood.

Snyder comes to Kentucky after stints at Illinois State and Nicholls State, where he helped build a top defensive unit in the FCS. He has coached multiple all-conference defensive linemen throughout his career, including current Wildcat Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace while at South Dakota State.

Barnard, a former student worker and recruiting operations assistant, was promoted from within the program. She has played an integral role in organizing recruiting operations and on-campus visits and will continue assisting with the planning and execution of official and unofficial visits, recruiting events and prospect communications.

Herron brings nearly three decades of coaching, leadership and talent evaluation experience. He most recently served as a scouting consultant at Texas during the 2025 season and was director of recruiting at Louisville from 2022 to 2025. He will work with the coaching staff and recruiting personnel to identify and evaluate prospective student-athletes while managing the transfer portal strategy and high school recruiting.

Stein, the youngest head coach in the SEC, was hired from Oregon in December 2025 to replace longtime coach Mark Stoops. The Wildcats open their 2026 season on September 5 against Youngstown State at Kroger Field in Lexington.