Will Stein is a first-time head coach at a program in the SEC. That is not an easy task to be successful at. This is his first Spring practice that he is actually fully running. Being a head coach means worrying about everything: offense, defense, and special teams.
For Will Stein, that responsibility has come with an unexpected reaction:
"Fun."
Will Stein is out here having a blast with special teams and defense
As an offensive coordinator your job is to get the offense ready to succeed. As a head coach, you can't just zero in on the offensive gameplan and let everything else go. You need to be able to balance your attention to make sure nothing is falling through the cracks. From the sound of it, Will Stein is doing just that.
"I'm worried about every phase, making sure everybody's going the right direction, but it's fun. You know, it's a lot of fun. It's fun to interact with both sides of the ball the way that I am now. Special teams. This is why you do it, and you get to have a(n) imprint on every single kid in your program and every coach. So, it's been a lot of fun so far."
I am not sure the players out there doing conditioning work in 83-degree weather will say it's fun, but maybe.
The transition may be fun now but it will be a lot of hard work
Will Stein is saying all the right things right now, and he really looks to be having fun. But there will be a moment that isn't so fun, one where he loses his first game as a head coach. How he responds to those adversity-filled moments that will definitely come will define how successful he can be in Lexington.
For now, though, I say let the man have some fun and let's get this thing rolling.