Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman immediately made a big impression on UK safety Ty Bryant

Keeping safety Ty Bryant at Kentucky for his senior season was a priority for new UK coach Will Stein and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman.

“Getting recruited out of high school was one thing. With his new NIL and transfer portal it is different. The recruiting is more upbeat and more direct and I was stunned at how many teams reached out about Ty to his agent,” Cisco Bryant, a former UK player and Ty’s father, said. “However, his staying had to do with the head coach and defensive coordinator, and some NIL as well.”

Bateman made a quick impact on the player and his father.

“The biggest thing about Bateman was that he was truthful. He never once said if you go somewhere else we will understand. It was always, ‘We want you here.’ That was a different selling point and certainly caught my attention,” Cisco Bryant said. “It was eye-opening for him to say it that way. That just doesn’t happen in this day and age very often. It was a very trustworthy way for him to say to us how much he wanted Ty to be here at Kentucky.”

Cisco Bryant also liked that Bateman and Stein worked their magic with Florida transfer Jordan Castell, a former four-star safety in the 2023 recruiting class who also had scholarship offers from Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Auburn, Texas A&M, Penn State, Ole Miss, and LSU. He was a freshman All-American at Florida and in 2025 he had 54 tackles and two interceptions in 10 games.

Bateman was on the Florida staff when Castell started his collegiate career.

“I saw he was coming and that put a smile on my face,” Cisco Bryant said. “I watched him for three years when we played against them. He’s a big deal.”

Ty Bryant had a special relationship with former UK defensive coordinator Brad White, who is now on Jon Sumrall’s staff at Florida.

“Him and coach White did Bible study together all the time. They spent a lot of time around each other reading the Bible and going to church,” Cisco Bryant said. “He was a big mentor in Ty’s life. Their personalities just meshed and Ty will miss him.

“The good thing is that Will communicates a lot. Out of the blue, Ty will get a call from him. Even after Ty’s commitment and signing, Will still communicated with him and I like that.”