Dan Lanning Could Lose $1.4M Oregon Coach to High-Profile SEC Job, Says FOX Analyst

Terrific is the word that justifies Oregon’s offense. The Ducks lit up the scoreboard with 34.9 points per game last season, ranked first in the Big 10 in total offense as per FOX Sports, and racked up 437.4 yards per game with surgical efficiency. Dillon Gabriel completed 72.9% of his passes. Jordan James cracked the 1,000-yard mark with ease at 1,253. And defenses were left chasing shadows. Whether it was Gabriel last season or Bo Nix the season before, Oregon’s offense has been the sharpest blade in the Big Ten (in Pac-12 previously) and one of the best in all of college football.

And that engine behind Dan Lanning’s offensive machine is Will Stein, the 35-year-old offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach who took over after Kenny Dillingham and has done a phenomenal job since the 2022 season. FOX Sports’ RJ Young is convinced that Stein is the next big coaching name. “Let’s talk about Oregon’s wonder offensive coordinator…Stein has been doing it better than Kenny Dillingham did,” Young began on his show Adapt & Respond with RJ Young on July 19. And he’s not wrong. Since Stein arrived, the Ducks are 25–3, and quarterbacks like Bo Nix and Dylan Gabriel have thrived in an ultra-efficient, high-octane system (Nix had 77% efficiency). The man is an offensive anomaly.

But Young has sounded an alarm, suggesting that Stein’s days in Eugene could be numbered. “What is going to be more interesting to me is if Will Stein and Oregon go win 10, 11 games once again, or 12 or 13 or 15, is he still going to be an offensive coordinator at Oregon the next year?” he said. “Doesn’t seem like he’s in any hurry. Seems like he’s waiting on one job to open up. And being from Texas, I got an idea of what that job is, and it ain’t likely to open up soon.” Young hinted that a job could be in SEC country, but it’s clear Stein’s resume is catching serious attention across the nation.

However, with Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian’s new deal extended through the 2031 season after the team advanced to the CFB Playoff semifinals for the second consecutive season, that’s a future too far. But looks like we might not have to wait that long either. “However, somebody somewhere is going to try to get him to take over their football team pretty quick, fast, and in a hurry. And as a [35-year-old] head coach who is an offensive wonderkin, that could be great, right?” Young concluded.

Even ESPN‘s Adam Rittenberg mentioned in May this year, “If he can produce similar results this fall with Dante Moore, he should be on the radar for solid head coaching gigs.“ Stein’s offense is extremely adaptable. In 2023, he turned Bo Nix into a Heisman finalist. Then, he brought in Dylan Gabriel, who picked up the offense almost instantly. Now, with Dante Moore saying, “I love him to death,” we are positive that there is something different about Stein. But is he going to continue in Oregon? That’s the question. 

So the question isn’t if Stein becomes a head coach, it’s when and where. Oregon fans may be hoping Dan Lanning finds a way to keep him one more year. But with production like this, and a $1.4 million salary that’s looking like a bargain, it’s only a matter of time before Stein gets the call to run his program. And when that happens, the Ducks will be facing one of their toughest losses yet, not on the field, but on the headset.

Moore and Stein’s relentless grind

There’s no mystery behind Oregon’s decision to roll with Dante Moore in 2025. And no one trusts him more than Will Stein. The man behind Oregon’s offensive command center has made it his mission to mold Moore into a quarterback worthy of the program’s sky-high standards. “One thing I will say about being here with Coach Stein, and I love him to death. He’s played the quarterback position,” Moore shared. “He knows how it feels to be out there on the football field, how to be in the fire.” That last line says it all: Moore is being understood. And for a young quarterback under pressure, that empathy is fuel.

Stein has to rebuild Moore, layer by layer, like he did with Dillion. “If we’re off, you know, missing a couple of receivers at practice, he knows how to get us back in rhythm,” Moore explained. “A little quick, short throw, things of that nature.” That precision and rhythm-first approach might seem like a small thing, but it’s foundational. Oregon’s offense is built on timing, space, and confidence, and Stein is making sure Moore has all three. In fact, the quarterback has begun embracing the grind in a way he hadn’t at UCLA. That’s what happens when your OC knows how to speak your language and throw with your arm.

Even Moore’s approach to preparation is evolving under Stein’s influence. “There are four fundamentals that you’re trying to do every year,” Moore noted, referencing Stein’s quarterback development process. “What’s that process like of being involved in the room, of trying to find what works for you guys?” It’s a process that’s clearly working. The Moore-Stein connection is fast becoming the backbone of Oregon’s 2025 campaign. And this duo could be the difference between a statement year yet again in the Big 10.