Will Stein’s first turn at SEC Media Days as Kentucky’s head coach kept circling back to Oregon.
That was inevitable, really. Stein spent his first seven months in Lexington building almost everything at once: a staff, a roster that now includes 45 new players, and even a new weight room. At the same time, he was still finishing his final season as Oregon’s offensive coordinator and helping the Ducks push toward another College Football Playoff run.
"Half that time during the portal I was still in Eugene coaching the Ducks, FaceTiming, Zooming, trying to get everything built," Stein said. "We did it with a minimal staff at that time."
For Oregon fans, the familiar part of Stein’s pitch was the football philosophy. He stressed quarterback accuracy, offensive-line play, balance and staying away from negative plays. He said a quarterback shouldn’t be content with completing less than 70 percent of his passes, a standard that fit right in with the way Oregon operated during his time in Eugene.
He also pushed back on the idea that modern offense is mostly about launching deep balls and piling up air yards. Stein said the real separators are first-down success, points per possession, turnover margin and explosive plays.
That sounds a lot like Oregon under Stein. The Ducks were explosive, but they weren’t built on empty downfield volume. They wanted to stay on schedule, protect the quarterback and use the run game to create better situations.
A big part of that, Stein said, came from the offensive lines he coached over the previous three seasons.
"People talk about the quarterback play that I've been a part of the last really four seasons," Stein said. "But look at the O-lines that we've had. There's a reason why there's good quarterback play."
He added that controlling the line of scrimmage matters even more late in the year, when weather changes and the pressure rises. The quarterback will always be the headline, but Stein made clear that physicality and balance sit at the center of how he wants to play.
Stein also had plenty of praise for Dan Lanning when asked about the best advice he got from his former boss. He didn’t point to one single lesson. Instead, he described the traits that have made Lanning so effective.
"Dan is one of the most consistent people I've ever been around," Stein said. "He's relentless in recruiting.
He's a phenomenal coach. He's always growth-mindset oriented."
That, of course, lines up with the culture Lanning has built at Oregon: constant recruiting, constant improvement, no letup in standards.
Stein’s most revealing Oregon comment may have come when he explained why he believes Kentucky can eventually chase championships. His answer was rooted in what he has seen at the highest level of college football and in what it takes to recruit, develop players and build a winning program.
He also admitted what he left behind.
"I would have stayed at Oregon, coached Dante, stayed out there," Stein said.
The Dante he meant was Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, whom Stein helped develop before heading back to his home state to take over Kentucky. The line made one thing clear: Stein didn’t leave Eugene because he was unhappy there or unsure about Oregon’s future.
He left because Kentucky was personal.
Stein grew up in Kentucky, went to games at Commonwealth Stadium and watched his father play for the Wildcats. Now he gets the chance to lead the program he grew up rooting for.
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Dan Lannings push to keep Oregon stocked at safety got another boost with four-star 2028 recruit CJ Craig-James listing the Ducks among his finalists. It fits the broader picture in Eugene, where Oregon has made the secondary a priority and continues to chase blue-chip defensive backs across multiple classes while riding the momentum of a No. 4-ranked 2027 recruiting class, according to Rivals.
Craig-James is hardly the only name on the board, either. Oregon is also in the mix for four-star defensive back Jordan Hicks, who recently narrowed his own list to eight schools and kept the Ducks in the conversation, even as the program still looks to land its first 2028 commitment. For a staff trying to build depth and long-term stability in the back end, the next few decisions could shape that room for years. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger picture for Oregon is hard to miss. Since 2024, 25 Ducks have been selected in NFL drafts, including a program-record 10 in the 2025 draft, and the pipeline does not look like it is slowing down anytime soon. NFL Mock Draft Database even projects 11 Oregon players to go in the 2027 draft, which would set another school mark and keep the Ducks right in the middle of the leagues young-star conversation. [Read more 🡒]