For three years Will Stein has crafted the best offense in the country, sending his previous two quarterbacks to New York as Heisman finalists.
Sunday morning UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster, and Virginia Tech ousted Brent Pry. Florida is 1-2 and facing No. 6 Miami this week. Wisconsin's Luke Fickell stands 0-7 against ranked opponents. Josh Heupel, Kalen DeBoer and Sam Pittman are all feeling the pressure in the SEC.
The Gators face three-straight games against top-ranked teams, at Miami, versus Texas, at Texas A&M. Alabama enjoys a bye before a road trip to Georgia on September 27.
It isn't just those jobs. Those openings start the carousel. With results to back up his resume, Stein's going to be on many short lists. He can afford to be choosy.
As the 35-year-old mastermind of an entertaining offense that attacks opponents with spectacular inventiveness and variety, Stein is an attractive candidate. Offense sells tickets, attracts recruits and opens boosters' checkbooks.
Stein runs an attack that's 28-3 over three seasons, currently No. 3 in the county in scoring at 54 points per game. The Ducks do it with innovation and style.
Dierre Hill Jr. finally delivers the juice for Oregon's offense, takes his first touch of the game 66 yards to the house on Will Stein's favorite big-play buster: counterpic.twitter.com/I23bCwaLLw
— John Evans (@_jpevans_) September 13, 2025
It doesn't hurt either that the first branch of the Dan Lanning coaching tree, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, Stein's predecessor as OC, transformed a 3-9 program into a playoff team in two seasons.
Stein's current contract at Oregon pays him $1.75 million. That's good money for a fast-rising coach, but he could start at three times that as the head man at an FBS school.
His philosophy is simple and effective. At a coaching clinic he said,
"Solve problems with formations to get your best player the ball. Don't add more plays. Add more ways to attack the defense with formation adjustments."
Stein can recruit, too. He's brought a top quarterback recruit in each of his three seasons, promising Vista Murrieta four-star Bryson Beaver this year.
Oregon puts freshman Douglas Utu on the right side as a 6th lineman alongside FB Zach Grace and TE Jamari Johnson, motions TE Kenyon Sadiq that way, and pitches it to the left for a walk-in touchdown.
— John Evans (@_jpevans_) September 13, 2025
Will Stein makes it so easy for his playerspic.twitter.com/IbbbFWbmGI
Though he's happy in Eugene and completely focused on winning a championship, he can't help that downtrodden schools and their boosters are hungry for some of the creativity he's known for. At a school like UCLA with a spectacular recruiting footprint, Stein could win in a couple of seasons, provided the administration and fans made the necessary moves to support him.
It's a hazard of hiring bright people with drive that a program has to regularly replace them, but Dan Lanning has proven to be a shrewd judge of coaching talent. He found Dillingham and Stein after all, plucking them from lower-paying jobs.