After several rough seasons for the Kentucky Wildcats with Mark Stoops running the show, it hasn't taken long for the program to find a replacement. Earlier on Monday, news broke that Will Stein and Brian Hartline were the frontrunners for the job. Well, a decision has quickly been made.
Cutter Boley swings door wide open to leave Kentucky after Mark Stoops firing
According to Chris Low and Pete Nakos, Stein has officially been offered and accepted the open job with Kentucky. Stein took over as the offensive coordinator for Dan Lanning and Oregon in December 2022, running the offense for the Ducks the past three seasons. Now, he's ready to take over in Lexington for his first head coaching gig:
BREAKING: Kentucky is hiring Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, @PeteNakos & @clowfb report😼https://t.co/NEjXV6SXc4 pic.twitter.com/REMU95GtBd
— On3 (@On3sports) December 2, 2025
Kentucky will reportedly hire Will Stein to take over as head coach
This indeed feels like a bit of a gamble for the Wildcats, as Stein is a coach on the rise, but he doesn't have head coach experience. However, he's going to bring an exciting offensive game plan to campus for the Wildcats and you've got to figure he's going to make an impact out on the recruiting trail too.
Stein is pretty familiar with Kentucky, as he was on the other side of a massive rivalry back during his playing days. Yup, Stein is a former Louisville quarterback, but now he's going to be ready to lead the Wildcats back to a level that fans are hoping the program can return to.
Stoops left Kentucky with an 82-80 record, making him the all-time winningest coach in program history. However, the writing appeared to be on the wall for him after some terrible campaigns of late. Is Stein going to end up being the right man for the job? That's what countless people are hoping for.
Plenty of UK supporters were optimistic that Hartline would get an offer. It was also reported that he was getting ready to interview with Kentucky and that had Ohio State fans quite nervous. However, Stein was the target the Wildcats zeroed in on and this looks to be a home-run hire for the SEC side.