Kentucky football has the replacement for Mark Stoops lined up. Stoops' firing Sunday opened the door for a high-profile assistant from Oregon to come over.
Multiple reports Monday revealed Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein is off to Lexington. Pete Nakos and Chris Low of On3/Rivals revealed a deal is indeed in the works to lure Stein to UK. Stein happens to have a family connection to the Southeastern Conference university, helping persuade the decision.
“The former Louisville quarterback’s father, Matt Stein, played defense for Jerry Claiborne at Kentucky. He also grew up attending Kentucky games and both his parents are UK alums,” Nakos wrote.
Stein takes over for the winningest head coach in UK football history, but has gone 3-13 the last two years in SEC play.
New Kentucky HC is QB guru
Stein brings an impressive background in developing quarterbacks under his now former boss Dan Lanning.
He helped oversee Bo Nix's Heisman Trophy finalist season before becoming a first round selection to the Denver Broncos. Stein also coached Dillon Gabriel before he embarked on his own NFL journey. Ducks QB1 Dante Moore thrived under Stein now — who delivered career-high numbers in his first season at Eugene.
Rumors swirled Monday morning that Stein was a contender. However, Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was another name mentioned in the UK opening.
Stoops went 72-80 overall with the Wildcats. He produced a school-record eight consecutive bowl appearances from 2016 to the 2023 season. Now the 36-year-old Louisville native is heading to SEC country and returning to the Bluegrass State.
