How former Oregon coaches Tosh Lupoi, Will Stein graded out

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The 2026 offseason is nearing a finish line, with fall camp across college football set to commence in the coming weeks. It will be the final set of practices before both departed Oregon Ducks coordinator Tosh Lupoi (California Golden Bears) and Will Stein (Kentucky Wildcats) take the field as head coaches for their new programs.

Both coaches were hired away from the Ducks in December of 2025, but stayed with the team during its run to the College Football Playoff Semifinal. The hirings were largely applauded from a national perspective during that time, as both built their brand as coordinators across multiple dominant Oregon seasons.

But with a full offseason under their belts as the head men in Berkeley and Lexington, College Football News provided updated grades of the hiring and how they're going so far.

Out of the 30 new head coaches hired in college football, CFN ranked Stein 22nd with a "B" grade for the hire.

"The guy doesn't lack for self-confidence," CFN's Pete Fiutak wrote. "After his introduction to the world at SEC media days, the spotlight is on – now he has to deliver. Great at Oregon over the last three seasons, he needs to build up the Wildcat offense to make it a problem for the SEC."

When asked why he believed Kentucky could win big during SEC media days, Stein replied "I think because of me, to be honest." Fiutak is certainly right, as the comment sent shockwaves through the college football landscape in a similar manner as Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti's "Google me" statement when he was hired by the Hoosiers. Time will tell if Stein lives up to his words, or if they get thrown back in his face.

If his past is any indication of the future, the Wildcats will have a strong offense around former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey, a former four-star recruit who was beat out by CJ Carr for the Fighting Irish's starting job last season.

Lupoi, meanwhile, was ranked No. 14 with a hiring grade of "B+".

"The former Cal defensive tackle turned into a whale of a defensive coordinator," Fiutak wrote. "Now he takes over at his alma mater and should bring the energy, attitude, and talent – he's a monster recruiter."

Stories about Lupoi's commitment to recruiting at the high school level and through the transfer portal have emerged in recent months. He was able to woo several former Ducks to Cal, upping the talent level of the roster. But arguably the most important thing that Lupoi did this offseason was retain star freshman quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele, as he made a trip to Hawaii to have a conversation with the young passer about returning to Cal.

He's shown that he can conduct a dominant defense with elite talent; but can he do it with less blue-chip starters at every level? The Golden Bears' offense projects to be the strength of the team once again, and if Lupoi can get the defense on the same level, Cal could be a factor in a wide open ACC this fall.

The SEC is much less wide open, with Stein potentially having a tougher go of it during his debut season. The true results of Lupoi and Stein's hirings won't be fully fleshed out until two or three seasons down the road, but both had solid enough off-seasons to cultivate optimism heading into 2026.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: How former Oregon coaches Tosh Lupoi, Will Stein graded out

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