ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
FOOTBALL
April 1, 2025
Kevin Barbay and Brad Lambert Join UK Football Coaching Staff
Former offensive lineman Paul Rodriguez also joins staff as a graduate assistant
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has announced the addition of three new coaching staff members in Kevin Barbay, Brad Lambert, and Paul Rodriguez. Barbay will serve as an offensive analyst working with offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan, while Lambert will work primarily with the nickelbacks on defense. Rodriguez, who was an offensive lineman at Kentucky from 2020-23, will be a graduate assistant working with Eric Wolford and the offensive line.
“We are excited to add so much experience and knowledge to our coaching staff,” Stoops said. “Barbay has been an offensive coordinator at several great programs and is a solid addition to our offensive staff. Lambert has almost 40 years of coaching experience, including being a head coach for eight years. He’s known for his defensive prowess and the knowledge he brings to our program is outstanding.
“Also, being able to add an up-and-coming young coach like Paul Rodriguez as a graduate assistant is great,” Stoops continued. “Paul has been in our program for the last four years and he knows the skills it takes to play on the Big Blue Wall.”
Barbay comes to Lexington after serving as Houston’s offensive coordinator in 2024. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State during the 2023 season.
Barbay has built a reputation for crafting high-powered offenses. During a five-year span coaching at Mississippi State (2023), Appalachian State (2022) and Central Michigan (2019-21), his teams recorded 31 games with 30 or more points and 19 games with at least 500 yards of total offense. During the 2022 and 2021 seasons, his offenses combined to average 448.01 yards per game and rank in the top 20 nationally.
Barbay’s career spans multiple levels, with prior stops at Stephen F. Austin, Colorado State, Florida and Lamar. After two years as a wide receivers and special teams coach at his alma mater, Lamar, from 2012-13, he spent the 2014 season as the director of player personnel at Colorado State. He then became the director of player development at Florida from 2015-17, helping the Gators win consecutive SEC Eastern Division titles. In 2018, he got his first job as an offensive coordinator at Stephen F. Austin, where his passing offense ranked 29th in the FCS.
Barbay, a native of Nederland, Texas, played quarterback at Grambling State under Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, where he helped the Tigers claim the 2002 Southwestern Athletic Conference title and a Black College national championship before transferring to Lamar. Barbay graduated from Lamar in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and fitness management and went on to earn a master’s degree in education-sport management from Baylor in 2007.
Read more on Barbay here.
Lambert comes to the Bluegrass after three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest, bringing 38 years of coaching experience, including eight as a head coach.
Under Lambert, the Demon Deacons’ defense forced 16 turnovers (seven interceptions and nine fumbles) in 2022 and won eight games for just the 10th time in program history. A bowl victory over Missouri in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl capped his first season.
Prior to Wake Forest, Lambert spent the 2021 season as the co-defensive coordinator at Purdue. The Boilermakers defense allowed only 22.4 points per game to rank 34th nationally, holding four opponents to single digits. Purdue also ranked 24th in first down defense (18.4 per game), 23rd in red zone defense (.756) and 33rd in passing yards allowed (208.7 ypg). The defense forced 17 turnovers on the season as well. Individually, DE George Karlaftis earned All-America honors from multiple outlets, becoming the first Boilermaker to receive that distinction since Ryan Kerrigan in 2010.
Lambert served as the defensive coordinator, linebackers and safeties coach at Marshall during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He also had a previous stop at Wake Forest, coaching 10 years from 2001-10, including serving the final three seasons as the Demon Deacons' defensive coordinator. He worked with Wake Forest's linebackers for the first nine seasons and with the secondary for the final year. Prior to Wake Forest, Lambert spent 11 seasons with Jim Donnan at both Marshall (1990-95) and Georgia (1996-2000). He got his start in collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma (1988-89).
Lambert graduated from Kansas State in 1987 with a degree in business finance. He was a four-year letterwinner as a defensive back for the Wildcats, earning second-team All-Big Eight honors in 1984 and Academic All-Big Eight honors three times (1984-86).
Read more on Lambert here.
Rodriguez, a native of Mason, Ohio, came to Kentucky in 2021 after a standout prep career at William Mason High School. He redshirted the 2021 season and went on to play in a combined 22 games in 2022 and 2023. He was forced to sit out the 2024 season with a medical issue but volunteered as a student coach. Rodriguez, a two-time Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll member, will graduate in May of ’25 with a degree in integrated strategic communication and will pursue a master’s degree in sport leadership.
FOOTBALL
April 1, 2025
Kevin Barbay and Brad Lambert Join UK Football Coaching Staff
Former offensive lineman Paul Rodriguez also joins staff as a graduate assistant
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has announced the addition of three new coaching staff members in Kevin Barbay, Brad Lambert, and Paul Rodriguez. Barbay will serve as an offensive analyst working with offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan, while Lambert will work primarily with the nickelbacks on defense. Rodriguez, who was an offensive lineman at Kentucky from 2020-23, will be a graduate assistant working with Eric Wolford and the offensive line.
“We are excited to add so much experience and knowledge to our coaching staff,” Stoops said. “Barbay has been an offensive coordinator at several great programs and is a solid addition to our offensive staff. Lambert has almost 40 years of coaching experience, including being a head coach for eight years. He’s known for his defensive prowess and the knowledge he brings to our program is outstanding.
“Also, being able to add an up-and-coming young coach like Paul Rodriguez as a graduate assistant is great,” Stoops continued. “Paul has been in our program for the last four years and he knows the skills it takes to play on the Big Blue Wall.”
Barbay comes to Lexington after serving as Houston’s offensive coordinator in 2024. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State during the 2023 season.
Barbay has built a reputation for crafting high-powered offenses. During a five-year span coaching at Mississippi State (2023), Appalachian State (2022) and Central Michigan (2019-21), his teams recorded 31 games with 30 or more points and 19 games with at least 500 yards of total offense. During the 2022 and 2021 seasons, his offenses combined to average 448.01 yards per game and rank in the top 20 nationally.
Barbay’s career spans multiple levels, with prior stops at Stephen F. Austin, Colorado State, Florida and Lamar. After two years as a wide receivers and special teams coach at his alma mater, Lamar, from 2012-13, he spent the 2014 season as the director of player personnel at Colorado State. He then became the director of player development at Florida from 2015-17, helping the Gators win consecutive SEC Eastern Division titles. In 2018, he got his first job as an offensive coordinator at Stephen F. Austin, where his passing offense ranked 29th in the FCS.
Barbay, a native of Nederland, Texas, played quarterback at Grambling State under Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, where he helped the Tigers claim the 2002 Southwestern Athletic Conference title and a Black College national championship before transferring to Lamar. Barbay graduated from Lamar in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and fitness management and went on to earn a master’s degree in education-sport management from Baylor in 2007.
Read more on Barbay here.
Lambert comes to the Bluegrass after three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest, bringing 38 years of coaching experience, including eight as a head coach.
Under Lambert, the Demon Deacons’ defense forced 16 turnovers (seven interceptions and nine fumbles) in 2022 and won eight games for just the 10th time in program history. A bowl victory over Missouri in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl capped his first season.
Prior to Wake Forest, Lambert spent the 2021 season as the co-defensive coordinator at Purdue. The Boilermakers defense allowed only 22.4 points per game to rank 34th nationally, holding four opponents to single digits. Purdue also ranked 24th in first down defense (18.4 per game), 23rd in red zone defense (.756) and 33rd in passing yards allowed (208.7 ypg). The defense forced 17 turnovers on the season as well. Individually, DE George Karlaftis earned All-America honors from multiple outlets, becoming the first Boilermaker to receive that distinction since Ryan Kerrigan in 2010.
Lambert served as the defensive coordinator, linebackers and safeties coach at Marshall during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He also had a previous stop at Wake Forest, coaching 10 years from 2001-10, including serving the final three seasons as the Demon Deacons' defensive coordinator. He worked with Wake Forest's linebackers for the first nine seasons and with the secondary for the final year. Prior to Wake Forest, Lambert spent 11 seasons with Jim Donnan at both Marshall (1990-95) and Georgia (1996-2000). He got his start in collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma (1988-89).
Lambert graduated from Kansas State in 1987 with a degree in business finance. He was a four-year letterwinner as a defensive back for the Wildcats, earning second-team All-Big Eight honors in 1984 and Academic All-Big Eight honors three times (1984-86).
Read more on Lambert here.
Rodriguez, a native of Mason, Ohio, came to Kentucky in 2021 after a standout prep career at William Mason High School. He redshirted the 2021 season and went on to play in a combined 22 games in 2022 and 2023. He was forced to sit out the 2024 season with a medical issue but volunteered as a student coach. Rodriguez, a two-time Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll member, will graduate in May of ’25 with a degree in integrated strategic communication and will pursue a master’s degree in sport leadership.
