New Kentucky coach Will Stein will reportedly ‘juggle’ 2 jobs through Oregon’s CFP run
By David Wasson
Published:
Every coaching change is different, especially so in the unprecedented 2025 coaching carousel that kept spinning Monday with the announcement that Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein has reached an agreement to accept the vacant Kentucky job.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Monday that Stein is expected to remain in Eugene to coach the Ducks in the College Football Playoff while simultaneously starting to build out his coaching infrastructure at Kentucky in the wake of Mark Stoops’ firing.
Stein has deep ties to the Bluegrass State, having played quarterback at Louisville from 2008-12. Stein stayed at Louisville after his on-field career ended, working as a grad assistant and quality control coach for the Cardinals from 2013-14.
The 36-year-old Stein will become one of the youngest head coaches in college football and has worked under Dan Lanning at Oregon since 2023. The Ducks are currently 11-1 and in line for a College Football Playoff berth for the second straight season.
Stoops was fired by Kentucky earlier Monday after coaching the Wildcats for 13 seasons. He amassed an 82-80 on-field record but was just 38-68 in SEC play during that time. Stoops’ Kentucky teams went 4-8 and 5-7 in his final 2 seasons – a stretch that also ended a streak of 8 straight bowl appearances.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
