Since his hiring at Oregon following the 2022 season, Will Stein has led elite offenses in both seasons at the helm of the Oregon offense. He had big shoes to fill, after former Oregon OC and current star Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham left for Tempe. At worst, he has done just as good as Dillingham, but I would argue that he has been even better.
Of course, Stein is entering year three as Oregon's offensive coordinator, and Kenny had just the one season on Dan Lanning's staff. However, the recruiting has improved under Stein, and the offense feels like it has more juice. The stats back it up too, as the offense jumped from 8th to 4th in the nation from 2022 to 2023, and back to 8th in 2024, while in a much stronger defensive conference.
Under Stein, the offense has been balanced, effective, and almost always high scoring.
His success has earned him lots of recognition since joining the Ducks. In his first season, 2023, he was a finalist for the Broyles award, given annually to the best assistant coach in the nation. Dan Lanning was nominated for the Broyles in 2021.
One of college football's most respected and reputable journalists, Andy Staples, hailed Stein has the best offensive coordinator in the nation, in a list made for On3 on Tuesday. It is well deserved praise for a coach who Oregon fans should feel lucky is still in Eugene.
Listening to Stein, and watching the execution and production of his offenses make it surprising that Stein is not a head coach elsewhere. There are lots of group of five or power conference schools who would have loved to hire Stein, and it is fair to assume that there were multiple suitors for his talents.
He has expressed desire to eventually become a head coach, but athletic director Rob Mullens and general manager Marshall Malchow have worked hard to keep both Stein and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi around.
A scroll through the Oregon football side of twitter/X since the events of the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day 2025 might make you believe that Stein is a terrible coach who is clueless as to how to run an offense. The truth of the matter: this is revisionist history and these fans are casual fans who do not understand the game.
Many complain about the frequent use of screens in Steins offense, and point to that as if it is a terrible thing. Screen passes are an extension of the run game, and I doubt Oregon fans complained about getting the ball to Kenyon Sadiq, Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, Terrance Ferguson and others in space.
Screen passes, RPO's, quarterback runs, etc. are all ways to use your athletes in space and expand on the running game in an offense which leans on the ground game heavily.
That Rose Bowl game against Ohio State was the first time, in my opinion, that Stein has been thoroughly outcoached. A young offensive coordinator, just 35, being outcoached thoroughly just once in 28 games in the role is certainly not a bad track record.
Stein has been open about past mistakes, such as a few poor playcalls in the pair of Oregon vs Washington games in 2023. He told coach Dan Casey for "The Play Callers Club" that the 3rd and 2, 4th and 2 plays against the Huskies will "haunt him forever." He mentions that he takes those as learning, coachable moments for himself. Accountability, growth, a willingness to adapt, and self-awareness are all traits of great coaches, and Stein certainly is one, and on a fast-track to becoming a home-run head coaching hire.
The top ranking given to Stein by Staples of On3 is certainly deserved, and should serve as a reminder to Oregon fans of just how fortunate they are to have elite coaches such as Will Stein within the program.