The 2025 Kentucky football season quickly turned into a season of disaster. The Wildcats finished 5-7 and decided to part ways with Mark Stoops, who had been in Lexington for 13 seasons. It seemed to have run its course for Stoops at Kentucky, and it was time for a chance. The Wildcats are an appealing job in the SEC and will have options, especially with big assistant coaches.
On3's college football reporter and insider, Pete Nakos, reported that the two top options for Kentucky are two of the most accomplished assistant coaches in the country: Oregon's Will Stein and Ohio State's Brian Hartline. Those two are the most sought-after assistants during this season's coaching carousel.
Nakos posted on X: “Oregon's Will Stein and Ohio State's Brian Hartline are the top 2 names to know for Kentucky, @PeteNakos reports (eyeball emoji).”
Will Stein will get the most love because of his Kentucky ties. Stein is from Kentucky, and his dad played defensive end for the Wildcats. He has an older brother who also played at Kentucky, and his mom graduated as a Wildcat. However, he grew up in Louisville and joined the Cardinals as a quarterback.
“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 before last season.
Despite the Louisville-Kentucky rivalry, Stein's ties to the Wildcats run deep. If he were hired in Lexington, he would be welcomed with open arms because of those ties, as well as his status as a great offensive coordinator. The Wildcats could use a jumpstart on offense, and Stein would be the perfect fit to do it. Stein was being considered for other jobs, like UCLA, but this one makes more sense.
Brian Hartline is a different case because he does not have the ties to Kentucky that Stein has. His brother was on staff with Mark Stoops in a support role, but that is it. Still, Hartline is widely seen as one of the best recruiters in the entire country, and he is primed to be a head coach soon, whether that's with Kentucky or another job down the road.
