Stein turns full attention to Cats

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When Oregon lost to Indiana in the College Football Playoff semifinals last week, it marked the end of an era for Will Stein in Eugene — and the start of an exciting new one for the first-year Kentucky head coach.

Stein, 36, spent the last three seasons as the Ducks’ offensive coordinator and, even after becoming UK’s coach in December, stayed on board through Oregon’s 2026 postseason run. The Ducks ultimately fell 56-22 to undefeated Indiana on Friday, and then Stein was off to Lexington.

“My life was changed because of my time at Oregon,” he wrote on social media, “and I cannot thank the players enough for their dedication and hard work. I will be a Duck fan forever.”

For the last several weeks, Stein’s time was understandably split between building his new program and still competing with his old team. He met with the Wildcats on Monday.

“The purpose of this meeting is an intro,” he said in a video released by UK Athletics, “to set the standard, to set the stage for what’s to come, to set the schedule so everybody’s on the same page. One thing you will have here in this program: Everybody is on the same page.”

Stein continued with what he considers the program’s “DNA traits” — connection, accountability, toughness and sacrifice — as the same core principles that he adopted at Oregon.

More than anything, Stein stressed the importance of coming together as a team. And, with the quick turnaround in college football, the Cats have to act quickly.

“The most connected team wins the most games, I promise you,” he said to his team. “You know the dude to your right, to your left, your coaches — you’re going to play harder for longer.”

Stein takes over a program coming off back-to-back losing seasons, as UK looks for a return to the postseason. In former coach Mark Stoops’s 13 seasons, the Cats reached a school-record eight straight bowl games.

Stein is also expected to inject some excitement into the Cats’ program, especially in recruiting, player development and an explosive offense. Over the last three years at Oregon, the Ducks’ offense has been one of the best in the country, and Stein was instrumental in the growth of former Heisman Trophy finalists Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel.

This fall, Oregon scored 36.9 points per game (ninth in FBS) and racked up 452.2 yards per contest (13th). Meanwhile, under Stoops and offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan, the Cats mustered only 23 points (99th) and 341.1 yards (103rd) per outing.

UK fans aren’t the only ones with high hopes, either.

“I’m fully prepared for Will Stein to have Kentucky randomly in the CFP semifinals within 24 months,” college football analyst Josh Pate wrote on social media Monday.

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