Oregon’s Will Stein is a candidate to be next Kentucky Football head coach

As the Kentucky Wildcats part ways with head coach Mark Stoops, the program is set to head in a new direction. With the college football coaching carousel in full swing, the Wildcats will look for someone new at the helm.

One of the rumored candidates to be the Cats’ next head coach is Will Stein.

According to Matt Zenitz, Will Stein is a candidate to watch for in the Kentucky coaching search.

“One of the early popular names coming up among industry sources as a possibility for the Kentucky head coaching opening: Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein,“ Zenitz wrote on Twitter. ”Kentucky native who has been Dan Lanning’s offensive coordinator at Oregon the last three years.“

Stein, who was once a backup QB at Louisville, has risen to one of the best offensive minds in college football. The 36-year-old is currently the Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator; he has been there since the start of the 2023 season.

Stein also has family ties to UK. His father played football for the school, and his mother attended UK as well. Stein himself became a backup at Louisville for his collegiate career before breaking into the coaching ranks.

In his first season with the Ducks, Stein already had a long list of accomplishments as an OC. In an elite offense, Stein tallied up the following rankings nationally in 2023:

• Top team in total offense.

• Most passing touchdowns.

• Highest completion percentage.

• First downs per game.

• Stein was a semifinalist for the 2023 Broyles award — given to the nation’s top assistant coach annually.

Stein is in the early stages of his coaching career, but he could be a prime candidate if the Wildcats want to start competing in the SEC. Getting a young HC is precisely what the program needs.

The Louisville (KY) native has raised the stock of many QBs throughout his coaching career. If the Wildcats could retain Cutter Boley, we could see a big second year out of him.

What could this mean for the Wildcats if they were to hire Stein? They would see a fast tempo, more modern offense built in during the first year. The young head coach has the Ducks averaging 38.3 points a game this season, which is ninth in the nation. Stein has many ties in the south and the Midwest, which would help a good amount of the recruiting front. Stein clearly represents the new archetype in college football coaching…young, offensive-minded, and versatile.

Stein doesn’t have any head-coaching experience, but the Wildcats should absolutely take a gamble on what would be the first-year head coach. For a program that is clearly in the depths and should be willing to embrace change, Stein is a prime candidate for the open job at Kentucky.

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