LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The University of Kentucky Football program announced the addition of three new coaching staff members: 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 was an offensive lineman at Kentucky from 2020-23, and 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."
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.
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.
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 this year with a degree in integrated strategic communication and will pursue a master’s degree in sports leadership.
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