Will Stein raves about coaching at Kentucky: ‘I love everything about this job’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Will Stein did everything but call Kentucky his dream job Monday evening.
The new Wildcats head coach affirmed his love for Kentucky over and over Monday night, insisting that Kentucky was the job he had circled while at Oregon. Stein recalled that if he were ever offered the Kentucky job, he would “no question take it.”
“I love everything about this job. Number one, I love our fans. I love the Bluegrass. I love being homegrown guy from Kentucky. I just love UK,” Stein said, via KSR. “This is a spot when you talk about places that I circled. This is really the one job when I was at Oregon that I felt like if I ever got offered, it was a no question take it because I would have always been sick to my stomach looking at this job with somebody else in the seat, given the opportunity that I had.”
“So, yes, I love it here. My family loves it here. I’m obviously close to home, being from Louisville, and want to continue to grow here and grow my family.”
The former Oregon offensive coordinator built quite a reputation with the Ducks, helping lead Dante Moore and Co. to the College Football Playoff last season. He’s liable to do the same with Kentucky in 2026.
There’s still plenty of work to be done, but Kentucky is a serious contender to crack the College Football Playoff in Stein’s first year. The Cats are 7-1 on the season with their lone loss coming at the hands of Alabama. Crucially, Kentucky downed No. 10 LSU thanks to a walk-off 2-point conversion call by Stein and star QB Kenny Minchey — the most impressive win on their resume thus far.
Following Saturday’s win over Vanderbilt, Stein mentioned that he wants to make next month a “November to remember.” If the Cats are to make the CFP, that’s exactly what they’ll need. Kentucky still has to face Tennessee inside Neyland Stadium alongside tough matchups against No. 17 Florida and at No. 23 Mizzou before their Rivalry game against Stein’s alma mater, Louisville.
Can UK get it done?
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
