Jay Bateman didn't come to Lexington to just "manage" a defense. He came to set it on fire.
Arriving from Texas A&M after a successful run in the College Football Playoff, Bateman is stepping into a full-autonomy role under head coach Will Stein. While the play-calling will be his own, Bateman is making it clear to Big Blue Nation that the X’s and O’s matter far less than the intensity behind them.
The "effort" non-negotiable
For Bateman, a defensive coordinator's pride shouldn't come from a clever scheme, but from the raw physicality of his unit.