Bio Blast: Will Stein

Mitch Barnhart’s latest high-profile coaching search did not even last 24 hours. There will be a homecoming at the University of Kentucky this week. Will Stein is coming home.

On Monday evening, multiple national outlets reported that the Oregon offensive coordinator was emerging as the top target for the Kentucky administration. Before flight tracking in Big Blue Nation got out of control, UK has the new leader of its football program just 36 hours before the early signing period gets rolling on Wednesday morning.

Who is the 36-year-old offensive coordinator? KSR is here to provide some background information on the new leader of Wildcat football.

Kentucky is set to hire Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein

A former Louisville QB who grew up a Kentucky fan

Will’s father, Matt Stein, played defensive end at Kentucky in the 1980s under Jerry Claiborne. The older Stein was on the last Kentucky team to beat Tennessee at Neyland Stadium until the Cats ended that long losing streak in 2020. His mother also graduated from the University of Kentucky. Stein and his sibling grew up making the drive down I-64 and going to games in Lexington.

“I grew up a die-hard Cats fan, actually. My dad played there, so I went to every game at Commonwealth Stadium. I grew up in really SEC football,” Will Stein told On3’s Andy Staples prior to the 2024 season.

An undersized quarterback who set passing records as a senior in 2007 at Louisville (Ky.) Trinity did not receive any FBS scholarship offers. A relationship from Trinity with Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe opened up an opportunity. The Steins reached out to Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips but an opportunity never materialized. The quarterback became on Card.

Stein would start multiple games for Louisville before being replaced by Teddy Bridgewater in 2011. His coaching career would begin immediately after the 2012 season.

Following Charlie Strong to Texas opens up opportunities

Will Stein became a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2013. Stein receive a promotion to quality control in 2014 while working for head coach Charlie Strong and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. Stein was also on staff with current Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore and current Philadelphia Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt. When Strong was hired by Texas, Stein followed his boss to the Big 12.

The Louisville native would spend three more seasons in quality control in Austin. His final season was spent working for Tom Herman in 2017 after Strong was fired. From there, Stein took a risk and moved to high school.

At 28 years old, Stein decided to become an offensive coordinator at Austin (Texas) Lake Travis. He spent two years at the powerhouse program. During his tenure, Stein coached future Texas and Purdue quarterback Hudson Card along with future first-round draft pick Garrett Wilson. That successful stint led to a power conference opportunity.

Jeff Traylor hired Stein to be a member of his first staff at UTSA. The duo worked together for a couple of years at Texas. After two seasons, Stein was promoted to offensive coordinator. That was the start of a strong play calling run in college football.

Immediate results at UTSA and Texas

In 2022, UTSA finished the season with 11 wins and an unblemished record in C-USA. It was that school’s best year in program history. The Roadrunners averaged 36.8 points per game and starting quarterback Frank Harris threw for over 4,000 yards.

That was the start of special play-calling run.

Year	Points Per Drive	Success Rate	EPA/Play	Yards Per Play	Red Zone TD Percentage	SP+ Ranking
UTSA (2022)	3.04 (No. 12 nationally)	45.3% (No. 17 nationally)	0.13 (No. 16 nationally)	6.37 (No. 26 nationally)	65.63% (No. 47 nationally)	22
Oregon (2023)	4.30 (No. 1 nationally)	53.2% (No. 2 nationally)	0.31 (No. 2 nationally)	7.82 (No. 2 nationally)	75.68% (No. 8 nationally)	3
Oregon (2024)	3.38 (No. 5 nationally)	49.4% (No. 3 nationally)	0.19 (No. 3 nationally)	6.39 (No. 20 nationally)	73.02% (No. 13 nationally)	3
Oregon (2025)	3.56 (No. 4 nationally)	45.1% (No. 22 nationally)	0.13 (No. 17 nationally)	7.08 (No. 9 nationally)	69.39% (No. 29 nationally)	13

Harris had a career year as a sixth-year senior under Stein. Bo Nix (77.4% completion rate, 4,508 passing yards, 51 total touchdowns) did the same as a sixth-year senior before becoming a first-round draft pick. Dillon Gabriel was another old quarterback who threw for 3,857 yards in his only season under Stein before becoming a draft pick. Dante Moore (72.5% completion rate, 2,733 passing yards, 25 total touchdowns) is on his way to becoming a first-round draft pick. Stein checks the QB box but he has also produced some dynamic rushing attacks with Jordan James and Bucky Irving all have 1,100-plus yard seasons under his watch. Meanwhile, the Ducks had a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in 2023.

The 36-year-old has quickly made a name for himself as being one of the best play callers in college football. The numbers speak loudly.