Kentucky football did not wait for the dust to settle. Less than 24 hours after Mark Stoops agreed to a buyout, the Wildcats officially turned the page and named Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein as the program’s next head coach.
It is a seismic moment for the program. The move signals a philosophical reset and a bet on one of the fastest-rising offensive minds in college football. As the news broke, university president Eli Capiluto, athletic director Mitch Barnhart, and Stein himself all weighed in on the new era taking shape in Lexington.
Mitch Barnhart on the hiring of Will Stein
Barnhart led the search quietly but decisively.