Oregon Ducks' Will Stein A Top Candidate To Replace Chip Kelly At Ohio State

The Las Vegas Raiders hired Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to run the offense under new coach Pete Carroll. Ohio State coach Ryan Day and the reigning National Champion Buckeyes now must hire a replacement and Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein is a top candidate.
Stein, Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and Akron head coach Joe Moorhead are four top candidates, according to a report from On3's Pete Nakos.
"He could be a plug-and-play head coach,” said On3's report of Stein.
Day is losing his first-year offensive coordinator, and friend, to the NFL. Day and Kelly have a long history. As a college football player, Day was coached by Kelly at New Hampshire. Day then coached with Kelly at New Hampshire (2002) and also for two years in the NFL (2015, Philadelphia Eagles; 2016, San Francisco 49ers.)
The former Duck Kelly brought immense success to Oregon from 2007-2012 and is now celebrating a national championship with the Buckeyes. Ohio State defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 34-23, to become 2024-25 College Football Playoff National Champions and earn its sixth national title. It's Ohio State's first championship since defeating the Oregon Ducks in 2014.
So the good news for Ducks fans is to not have to face Kelly in the Big Ten conference anymore. The bad news is, Stein is a hot name surrounding the job at Ohio State.
Stein’s coaching career includes stops at Louisville (2013-14), Texas (2015-17), Lake Travis High School (2018-19) and University of Texas at San Antonio (2020-22), where Stein started as pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach and was named co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in the 2022 season.
Stein's accomplishments in 2023 turned heads of other programs. His name was connected to head coaching vacancies with the UCLA Bruins, Washington Huskies, Kentucky Wildcats and Houston Cougars.
The 35-year-old Stein has been the Ducks' offensive coordinator for the last two seasons, coaching back-to-back Heisman Trophy quarterbacks in Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix.
MORE: Ohio State Buckeyes Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly Hired by Las Vegas Raiders, NFL
MORE: Dallas Cowboys Target Ra'Shaad Samples Staying With Oregon Ducks, Dan Lanning
MORE: Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dillon Gabriel Shines at Senior Bowl, Boosts NFL Draft Stock
"I think it’s the track record of what coach [Stein] has been able to do at a bunch of different spots at a bunch of different levels as well. I also think proven concept, right? Being here and seeing all the guys who’ve done what they’ve done... Winning a bunch of games, which is the main thing," Gabriel said of Stein during Oregon's undefeated streak.
While Oregon's offense most-recently stalled in the Rose Bowl vs. Ohio State, Stein helped lead the Ducks to the first 13-0 start in program history, earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and a berth in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks averaged 34.9 points and 437.4 yards per game in 2024.
In November, Stein talked with CBS Sports' Adam Breneman about reasons he loves working at Oregon for coach Dan Lanning.
"The attention to detail here is unlike any place I've ever been, not just from Dan but from the top down, from our athletic director to the people who clean up this building," said Stein.
"There's no stone unturned, ever," Stein continued. "What Coach Lanning does in terms of teaching our players football on a daily basis is better than any place I've been. Our kid's football IQ here that, I don't want to say surprised me, but I was like, 'Whoa, these guys know football.'"
MORE: Chip Kelly Replacements For Ohio State Buckeyes: Penn State's Andy Kotelnicki?
MORE: Oregon Ducks Commit Tomuhini Topui Visits USC Trojans, Lincoln Riley
MORE: Top-25 Basketball Poll After Ranked Upset: USC Trojans, Michigan State Falls
MORE: Oregon Ducks Or Georgia Bulldogs To Land Nation’s No. 2 Recruit Immanuel Iheanacho?