Oregon Ducks OC Will Stein among top candidates for Kentucky job

When you run a successful program that wins games and competes for College Football Playoff spots, people are going to try to poach your coaches. That's something Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has come to learn over the past few years, and a reality he's had to deal with since arriving in Eugene.

While the Ducks have been able to enjoy some consistency at their coordinator positions over the last couple of years, 2025, it seems potential, if not likely, that both offensive coordinator Will Stein and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi will take off to begin their head coaching careers.

On Sunday night, news broke that the Kentucky Wildcats are parting ways with Mark Stoops, which is a notable development for Duck fans. Stein, who grew up in Kentucky and played for the Louisville Cardinals, is now among the top candidates for the open position.

Since coming to Oregon, Stein has developed a reputation as an offensive wizard and a bit of a quarterback whisperer. In back-to-back years, Stein had both Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel invited to New York as Heisman Trophy finalists, and there's a chance that Dante Moore does the same in 2025.

Should Stein choose to accept the Kentucky job, it will be interesting to see where Oregon goes at the OC position. There is a belief that the Ducks would promote running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator RaShaad Samples, but that will be a coveted position, so seeing where Lanning goes will be notable.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks OC Will Stein top candidate for Kentucky Wildcats job