Kentucky has made the Will Stein head coaching hire official

Kentucky fans have had had an eventful last few days, with a firing of head coach Mark Stoops after a long meeting on Sunday night, followed by a very quick coaching search. Now, the search is officially wrapped up and Kentucky has found their guy. After multiple reports that Oregon Offensive Coordinator Will Stein was set to become the new head coach, that has now been made official by UK.

Stein is seen as one of the brightest offensive coaching minds in college football, and was a hot name among many coaching searches across the country. Mitch Barnhart said in the press release that he "brings an outstanding track record of developing elite quarterbacks and leading some of the most dynamic and successful offenses in college football." Fans will be really excited about what he brings on the field, but his personal longstanding connection with the UK program is what makes it an overall perfect fit. Stein, who grew up a Kentucky fan residing as Louisville native, has some really strong ties to the program, including growing up a huge fan, with his dad, Matt, being a former player and his mother, Debbie, is also a big fan. He may have played at Louisville, but his love for Kentucky has never left.

Here is what Stein had to say in a press release statement: "I’m honored and excited to become the next head coach at Kentucky,” Stein said. “Growing up in Kentucky and sitting in the stands at UK games as a kid, I could only dream of one day leading the Wildcats. This is truly a dream come true. My goal is to lead with purpose and help young men grow on and off the field. I’m deeply thankful to President Capilouto, Mitch Barnhart, and Big Blue Nation for the trust they’ve placed in me. I also want to thank Coach Dan Lanning and the entire Oregon staff for their support and mentorship, they’ve been incredible. Now, I can’t wait to get started and make Kentucky proud.”

Stein really has quite the quarterback resume, including coaching Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel, who were two of the top quarterbacks in the country during their time at Oregon, incuding Dante Moore this year. What do the three have in common? They were all Heisman candidates. That's something BBN should be excited about, because getting their quarterback room right would be huge for the program's success. It's still up in the air depending on what Cutter Boley's decision will be, but he certainly would be excited to watch in Stein's exciting offense.

Kentucky has a fresh new face at the helm of the football program, and with how much national praise he has gotten lately, that should make fans really happy. Mitch Barnhart hired a special gem in Stein.

It’s Stein Time in the Bluegrass. 😼@CoachWillStein is our new head coach!

📰🔗 https://t.co/6KpdO8XStJ pic.twitter.com/5Jbi1KEfLB
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) December 2, 2025