Will Stein bids farewell to Oregon as he begins tenure as Kentucky’s head coach

For the past month, Will Stein had been serving double-duty as Oregon‘s offensive coordinator and Kentucky‘s head coach. Stein was hired to succeed former head coach Mark Stoops on Dec. 1, but fulfilled his duties at Oregon until the end of the season.

Stein’s tenure at Oregon officially came to an end Friday night, as the Ducks were throttled by Indiana 56-22 in the Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal). He officially bid farewell to Oregon fans on social media Saturday night.

“Thank you Coach Dan Lanning, Oregon Football, and the Duck faithful for an incredible three years,” Stein wrote. “My life was changed because of my time at Oregon and I cannot thank the players enough for their dedication and hard work. I will be a Duck fan forever.”

Thank you @CoachDanLanning, @oregonfootball and the Duck faithful for an incredible three years. My life was changed because of my time at Oregon and I cannot thank the players enough for their dedication and hard work. I will be a Duck fan forever.

— Will Stein (@CoachWillStein) January 10, 2026

Stein served three seasons as Oregon‘s offensive coordinator (2023-25). In that span, the Ducks made two appearances in the College Football Playoff. They also compiled a 38-5 record and sent/will have sent three quarterbacks to the NFL Draft (Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and Dante Moore).

Will Stein can officially focus all attention onto building Kentucky

The Louisville native marks Kentucky‘s first head coaching hire since Stoops was hired prior the 2013 season. Under Mark Stoops, the Wildcats posted a 72-80 record with four consecutive bowl game victories from 2018-2021. Kentucky had gone just 9-15 across the past two seasons however, leading to the change.

“I think about my path here, and I’m really a product of great coaches in my life,” Stein said at his introductory press conference. “I mentioned a lot of their names. Obviously worked in an elite conference in the Big Ten. I don’t think it’s quite the SEC. Dan Lanning and my training with him has been a phenomenal resource for me to be prepared for this job and for what’s to come. The only way to win, like I mentioned, is to recruit.”

“You have to sign great players. Great players, like I mentioned earlier, they are what make the game fun. They are what make us win. My training, I trust it. I don’t try to make stuff up that I might not know because I have great resources in my life to call on when need be. I believe what I’ve done the past three years at the University of Oregon has set me up to be successful immediately here at Kentucky.”

Stein has been successful pulling double-duty for the Wildcats, as Kentucky has hauled in 16 targets from the Transfer Portal already. This success has been done in addition to retaining key players, such as tight end Willie Rodriguez, EDGE rusher Sam Greene, and defensive back Ty Bryant.