Oregon's Official Will Stein Announcement-Press Release

[Charles Fischer]

(For Oregon Athletics Credentialed Media)

 

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning officially hired Will Stein as the Ducks’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Wednesday.

 

“I am thrilled to welcome Will, his wife, Darby, and their newborn son, Joey, to our family here at Oregon,” Lanning said. “In our search to find the absolute best fit for the University of Oregon, we committed to a detailed search for the right person to lead our offense. Will is that person. He is a passionate and innovative coach who consistently finds ways to maximize his personnel.

 

“Will has done a great job developing dynamic quarterbacks in his career, and he is able to see the game through a different lens as a former quarterback himself. He is a tremendous teacher and a tireless worker, and his focus on the student-athlete experience aligns with our philosophy here in Eugene. I am excited to see our team and offense reach new heights under his leadership and direction with our entire offensive staff.”

 

Stein comes to Oregon from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he served as the Roadrunners’ co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022 after spending the previous two seasons as pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach. Prior to joining UTSA in 2020, Stein got his coaching career started at Louisville (2013-14), Texas (2015-17) and Lake Travis High School (2018-19).

 

“My family and I are extremely grateful to Coach Lanning and the Oregon administration for this incredible opportunity,” Stein said. “Oregon has become synonymous with explosive offense and dynamic playmakers, and I am so excited to be a part of such a powerful national brand. Coach Lanning and the rest of the staff are building something really special, and I can’t wait to get to work with these student-athletes both on the field and getting to know them as young men.”

 

 

With Stein elevated to co-offensive coordinator in 2022, UTSA ranked No. 9 nationally in total offense (486.1 YPG), No. 12 in scoring offense (38.7 PPG) and No. 12 in passing offense (308.6 YPG). The Roadrunners scored 30-plus points in 12 of 13 games and 40-plus points in seven games, including 48 points in a dominant win over North Texas in the Conference USA Championship Game.

 

UTSA also ranked eighth in the nation this season in third-down conversions (50.0 percent), and 17th in red-zone scoring (90.16 percent). On the ground, the Roadrunners were in the top 25 nationally with 28 rushing touchdowns.

 

Quarterback Frank Harris was terrific in 2022 while learning under Stein, ranking second in the nation with 4,453 total yards of offense and sixth with 40 total touchdowns. Harris is sixth nationally in passing yards (3,865), seventh in passer rating (167.37) and tied for ninth in passing touchdowns (31), and his 71.1 completion percentage ranks third behind only Clay Millen (Colorado State) and Oregon’s Bo Nix.

 

Harris was named the 2022 Conference USA Most Valuable Player, and running back Kevorian Barnes was selected as the league’s Freshman of the Year after rushing for 713 yards and six touchdowns while averaging an impressive 6.25 yards per carry.

 

UTSA’s wide receivers enjoyed a historic season under Stein in 2021 while emerging as one of the top units in the nation. The trio of Joshua Cephus, Zakhari Franklin and De’Corian Clark combined to catch 204 passes for 2,585 yards and 25 touchdowns, making the Roadrunners one of just three teams to have three receivers with at least 50 receptions and 750 yards apiece. Franklin was a first-team all-conference selection after setting program records for receptions (81), yards (1,027), yards per game (79.0) and touchdowns (12).

 

 

In his first season in San Antonio in 2020, Stein coached UTSA’s wide receivers to a combined 170 receptions, 1,923 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. He helped lead a balanced offensive attack that piled up 2,399 passing yards and a school-record 2,585 rushing yards.

 

Stein joined UTSA after spending 2018 and 2019 as the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterback coach and recruiting coordinator at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas. He helped lead the Cavaliers to a 26-4 combined record and back-to-back appearances in the state semifinal round of the Class 6A Division I playoffs.

 

A former quarterback at Louisville, Stein got his coaching start in 2013 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. Stein helped coach quarterbacks in his first season before moving into an offensive quality control role in 2014 while working with the wide receivers.

 

Stein reunited with former Louisville head coach Charlie Strong at Texas, where he worked as a quality control coach with the Longhorns’ wide receivers in 2015 and 2016. He then helped coach Texas’ quarterbacks in 2017 before moving on to Lake Travis High School in 2018.

 

Stein played for Steve Kragthorpe (2008-09) and Strong (2010-12) at Louisville, and was part of the 2012 team that won the Allstate Sugar Bowl with a 33-23 win over No. 3 Florida. He played his high school ball at Trinity High School in Louisville, where he was a three-time state champion and set the program’s single-season record for touchdown passes with 54.

 

Stein earned a bachelor’s degree in sport administration from Louisville in 2011, and Master’s in business administration in 2014.