How much has UK coach Will Stein made during Oregon football CFP run?
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As Kentucky football coach Will Stein continues to serve as offensive coordinator for Oregon through its College Football Playoff run, he’s enjoying paychecks from both schools simultaneously.
Stein agreed to a five-year deal with the Wildcats effective Dec. 2, according to a copy of his term sheet The Courier Journal obtained via records request. His annual compensation starts at $5.5 million in Year 1 (the 2026 season) and climbs by $100,000 annually through 2030 to $5.9 million with performance incentives up to $2.15 million per year. While the term sheet does not specify how often Stein will be paid, former Kentucky coach Mark Stoops’ original contract language said his $400,000 base salary (the same as Stein’s) would be doled out monthly, and his “multiple media and endorsements” money would be issued quarterly.
Stein started at Oregon on Dec. 9, 2022. Under his tutelage, the Ducks‘ offense ranked among the nation’s best, finishing second in FBS scoring offense and total offense in 2023. UO finished in the top 25 of both stats last season as well. This season, Oregon is averaging 38 points and 457.5 yards per game.
He’ll be with the No. 5-seeded Ducks when they play the No. 1-seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the national semifinals of the CFP at 7:30 p.m. Friday. If Oregon wins, it’ll play the winner of No. 10 Miami versus No. 6 Ole Miss in the CFP championship Jan. 19.
Stein signed an amendment to his most recent agreement with Oregon on Dec. 7, according to a copy of the document obtained by The Courier Journal via open records request. His contract extension, signed March 7, was effective Feb. 1, 2025, to Jan. 31, 2028, with a guaranteed salary of $1.75 million per year plus incentives. Per his contract, Stein would owe Oregon 50% of his remaining guaranteed salary for terminating his agreement early, but that money owed is waived because he accepted a position as an FBS-level head coach.
Stein’s amendment eliminates years 2 and 3 from his contract and establishes his final day of employment with the Ducks as Jan. 20 or the day after the team’s final game in the CFP, whichever comes first.
Effective Dec. 2, Stein’s Oregon salary will be distributed in the form of a $2,397 per diem. The amendment states that Stein shall not receive more than $119,863 through the end of the term.
Stein is also allowed to continue using his courtesy car through the end of the term, but he is no longer eligible for the $300 per month stipend in lieu of the courtesy car.
While he is no longer eligible for academic bonuses as established in his March 7 contract extension, Stein will still receive performance-based incentives for Oregon’s CFP run. These include:
- Compete in CFP First Round Game: $15,000
- Compete in CFP Quarterfinals Game: $15,000
- Compete in CFP Semi-Finals Game: $20,000
- Compete in CFP National Championship Game: $25,000
- Win CFP National Championship Game: $50,000
All of the aforementioned amounts are cumulative. Stein has earned $50,000 to date for helping the Ducks to a CFP semifinals appearance.
The amendment outlines Stein’s responsibilities to the Ducks while also working as the Wildcats’ new head coach while also addressing poaching, tampering and conflicts of interest.
Stein is expected to continue to perform “all duties and responsibilities of an assistant football coach/offensive coordinator, recruiting excepted.” He is not allowed to work from home and must do so on Oregon’s campus or wherever the Ducks’ corresponding CFP game is. Should head coach Dan Lanning or athletics director Rob Mullens determine Stein is not continuing to perform his duties, Oregon can immediately terminate the amendment and have no further obligation to Stein under their agreement.
As far as tampering and poaching goes, Stein’s amendment states that, in signing, he agrees to not contact any current Oregon athletes or 2025-26 recruits to convince them to follow him to UK. It also says he won’t accept the commitment of any current athletes through the transfer portal without Lanning’s expressed approval. Finally, the amendment states that Stein agrees to not contact any current Oregon staffers “for the purposes of poaching, encouraging, discussing, or offering that employee a position at another institution” unless the job qualifies as a promotion from whatever position they currently occupy in Eugene. Pat Biondo, for example, worked as “director of recruiting strategy” at Oregon before agreeing to serve as Stein’s general manager at Kentucky.
The “conflict of interest” section of Stein’s amendment says he is expected to make decisions in the best interest of the university as a whole. It also states that he “must exercise reasonable diligence and care to prevent any actions or conditions that could result in a conflict of interest and/or a conflict of commitment.” Likewise, he is not allowed to use UO resources such as phones, offices, computers, emails or printers for work relating to his new gig with UK.
Since his hiring Dec. 2, Stein has fully fleshed out his coaching staff, highlighted by offensive coordinator Joe Sloan (previously at LSU) and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman (Texas A&M). Since the transfer portal opened Jan. 2, Stein has landed commitments from former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey, former Baylor center Coleton Price, former Purdue nose tackle Jamarrion Harkless and former Florida safety Jordan Castell, among several others.
Ahead of the CFP quarterfinal game (the Orange Bowl) versus Texas Tech, Lanning addressed key staff departures including Stein and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, who is now Cal’s head coach.
“Both those guys have had unbelievable focus on our team,” Lanning said. “I think they both recognize they’d never have the opportunities they have if it wasn’t for the players at Oregon and the place of Oregon. And I think they feel a term of endearment. They feel like they owe it to our players to give their absolute best on the way out.”
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com and follow her on X @petitus25. Subscribe to her “Full-court Press” newsletter here for a behind-the-scenes look at how college sports’ biggest stories are impacting Louisville and Kentucky athletics.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football coach Will Stein salary, Indiana vs Oregon CFP bonus
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