Will Stein is leaving the Oregon Ducks to become the new head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, a pretty sweet move for the Kentucky native. The good news for Oregon fans is that he’s expected to stick around a little longer instead of pulling a Lane Kiffin.

On November 1st, College football insider Pete Thamel hopped onto X and revealed: “Per a source, Stein is expected to call Oregon’s offense throughout the College Football Playoff. He’ll juggle both jobs until the Oregon season ends.” According to Pete Thamel, offensive genius Will Stein is set to finish out the season with the Ducks during their College Football Playoff run while handling little a paper works with Kentucky.

Just days after getting swept 41-0 swept by Louisville Cardinals, the Kentucky Wildcats decided, they had it enough and pulled the trigger on 13-year head coach Mark Stoops and decided to bring one of the brightest minds in modern college football all the way from Eugene.

Will Stein has been a huge part of the Oregon success story over the last three seasons under head coach Dan Lanning. The Ducks have been absolutely dominant, putting together an incredible overall record of 36-4 during his tenure. This run includes finishing with a 12-2 record in 2023, going 13-1 and winning the Big Ten in 2024, and wrapping up this current regular season with an impressive 11-1 record.

When you talk about Oregon’s offense under Stein, you’re talking about pure fireworks. It’s been one of the top-10 scoring offenses in the entire country in two of the last three years, known for fast and just plain explosive.

He then has also earned the title of “quarterback whisperer,” helping guys like Heisman contenders Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and Dante Moore all thrive under Eugene’s offense, also helped them to hit career-high completion percentages.

This season hasn’t been any different for the Ducks. Dan Lanning’s boys finished the regular season at 11-1 and are right there at the playoff door again.

Although expectations are through the roof for the playoffs. Everyone thinks the Ducks has somewhat equal shot at the national championship, and keeping Stein around to call the plays is a massive boost to those title dreams.

Once the season wraps up – hopefully with a ring on January 19th, Stein will head to Lexington and start his new journey as a head coach. It’s an exciting time for both fan bases!

Expectations for Will Stein at Lexington

Kentucky fans should feel optimistic with Will Stein taking over, because he immediately raises the team’s offensive ceiling. Even if the wins don’t come right away, the Wildcats are finally going to be fun to watch again, something that hasn’t been true in a long time.

The Wildcats have been a bottom-ranked program lately in the SEC and finished the season with a 5-7. Stein brings plenty of competitive experience from working under Oregon’s Dan Lanning, and that alone should help Kentucky show week in and week out.

But Stein’s first season in 2026 comes with a brutal schedule. Kentucky only has two clear “should-win” games. Youngstown State and South Alabama, and everything else is a grind.

For a fanbase that realistically only wants seven or eight wins a year, that means Stein has to find five more wins against a lineup that includes Alabama, LSU, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Louisville. That’s a tall order for almost any coach in the country.

Still, even if Stein doesn’t hit the seven-win mark right away, the real measuring stick should be how the team looks on the field. Kentucky should be far more competitive, pushing big SEC opponents deep into games and possibly stealing a few wins along the way.