Welcome to the modern coaching reality: you’re the face of a new SEC program… and still game-planning a College Football Playoff opponent across the country.
Will Stein didn’t pretend it’s simple. But he did make one thing clear — the current locker room in Eugene comes first.
“I mean, it’s not easy,” Stein admitted. “Dan has done it before, so I’m leaning on him. Tosh is in it as well. So it is what it is.”
Translation: this isn’t his first exposure to the juggling act, and he’s borrowing the blueprint from guys who’ve already navigated it.
‘This game is the most important thing for us right now’
Stein’s priority, in his own words, is straightforward: finish the job with Oregon.
“We are extremely focused on this game, number one, because this game is the most important thing for us right now,” he said. “We have to make sure that we are pouring into these players that have poured so much into this program here in Oregon.”
That’s not just coach-speak. Walking into a new SEC locker room while your previous team is still playing meaningful football is a tricky trust situation. The best way to earn respect in Lexington is to show his current players that he didn’t half-step the ending in Eugene.
Every transfer, every high school recruit, every Kentucky player is watching how he handles this.
Inside Will Stein’s plan to coach Oregon’s playoff run while building Kentucky football
Of course, Kentucky can’t just sit on pause while Stein attacks playoff defenses. That’s where delegation comes in.
“When I need to delegate to University of Kentucky, I do that,” Stein said. “But when I’m here at Oregon in the building, all focus is on the Ducks and winning this first playoff game.”
Behind that quote is the real structure: support staff, on-the-road assistants, and a small army in Lexington working the portal, talking to current players, handling NIL conversations and keeping the board moving so Stein can step into something that’s already humming.
He doesn’t have to be on every single call. He just has to be the closer and the architect.
‘It’s all noise’
There’s been plenty of outside chatter about divided focus, loyalty and whether you can really do justice to two programs at once. Stein clearly isn’t interested in playing that talk-radio game.
“You know, it’s all noise,” he said. “If you let it get to you, it could be an issue. I’ve chosen not to let it get to me and focus on the task at hand.”
That’s the tightrope: he has to project laser focus with Oregon while still convincing Kentucky’s roster and recruits that they’re not an afterthought. Owning the “noise” instead of pretending it doesn’t exist is at least a good start.
For Kentucky fans, the real question isn’t “Is he distracted?” It’s more if he is the kind of guys players trust to lead them?
So far, the messaging has been consistent. Oregon's playoff run gets his full attention when he's in the building. Kentucky's future is being quietly built through delegation and planning, not being ignored.
If Stein walks off the Oregon sideline having just called high-level ball on the biggest stage, then walks into Lexington with that same edge and urgency, no one is going to care how crazy December felt.
They’ll care what the offense looks like next fall.