Kentucky is expected to hire Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein to be its next head coach, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports. The move comes hours after the Wildcats fired all-time wins leader Mark Stoops.
The move to Lexington would be Stein’s first head-coaching job and represent the latest step in what has been a rapid rise for the 36-year-old Kentucky native. Stein spent 2008-12 as a quarterback at Louisville, appearing in 25 games for the Cardinals. He then spent two seasons on the Louisville staff, was with Texas as a quality control coach from 2015-17 and coached at Lake Travis High School in Texas — a longtime powerhouse program — in 2018 and 2019. Among the players under his tutelage was future Ohio State star and current New York Jets receiver Garrett Wilson.
Inside Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein’s rise from Friday nights in Texas to the national spotlight
Chris Hummer
Stein then took the passing game coordinator and wide receiver coach roles at UTSA and was promoted to be the Roadrunners’ co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach ahead of the 2022 season.
UTSA produced one of college football’s best offensive attacks, finishing 12th in yards per game and 15th in points per game. In December 2022, Dan Lanning hired Stein to become Oregon’s offensive coordinator, a role vacated by Kenny Dillingham when he took the Arizona State job.
The fit was an instant success. The Ducks scored a modern era program-record 81 points against Portland State in Stein’s first game as offensive coordinator and averaged 43.7 points per game that season, second in FBS behind LSU. In 2024, the Ducks were the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff before losing to Ohio State. Overall, Oregon’s offense has averaged 37.7 points per game over the past three seasons, second in FBS behind North Texas. The Ducks’ 7.1 yards per play is first nationally.
Stein has shown a propensity to adapt to different quarterbacks well. In 2023, he helped Bo Nix take a massive leap; Nix completed an FBS record 77.4% of his passes and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. Last year, Dillon Gabriel led the Ducks’ attack, and this year, it’s been Dante Moore. With Moore leading the offense, Oregon finished the regular season 11-1 and will likely host a first-round College Football Playoff game. Stein is expected to continue to call plays for the Ducks through their CFP run, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Kentucky fired Stoops shortly after a 41-0 loss to Louisville; the Wildcats finished 5-7 and missed a bowl for the second straight year after making a bowl in each of the eight seasons prior. Kentucky’s 20.7 points per game over the past two seasons rank last in the SEC, as do its 335.8 yards per game.
At 9-15 (3-13 SEC) over the past two seasons, Stoops was mired in his worst run since taking over the job from Joker Phillips after the 2012 season. His final record of 82-80 (38-68 SEC) is heavily weighed down by a slow beginning and poor ending. In between came some of the program’s finest moments. It took four seasons for UK to reach a bowl under Stoops, but 2016 marked the first of eight straight postseason trips for the Wildcats.
Stoops produced the program’s first 10-win season since 1977 in 2018 and did it again in 2021 before a downward trend began, ultimately leading to Stoops’ dismissal and the impending arrival of Stein.
Add Comment