Tag: will stein

5 questions we’re left with following Bo Nix’s announced return in 2023

With Bo Nix’s announced return for 2023, we’re left with a number of questions going forward. Who fills out the rest of the QB room in Eugene?

On Sunday afternoon, quarterback Bo Nix gave the Oregon Ducks fan base a much-needed dose of good news.

He declared he’s coming back for the 2023 season and playing one more year with the Ducks.

This is huge news for Oregon and means that despite all of the doom and gloom that has surrounded the quarterback position for the Ducks over the past week, the team should be set at the position next season with arguably one of the best players in the nation when healthy. While fans are undoubtedly excited about the announcement, it leaves them with many questions for the immediate and extended future.

Let’s get into some of the biggest things that we still need to find out going forward:

WATCH: Oregon’s new OC Will Stein breaks down offensive philosophy

Run with physicality, get the ball to play-makers, and take shots downfield. That’s what Will Stein wants his offense to do in Eugene.

One of the most common questions that Oregon Duck fans all asked on Monday morning was a simple “who?”

It was a question that was in response to the announcement that Will Stein had been hired as the new offensive coordinator. It’s not meant to demean Stein, who has spent the last year as co-offensive coordinator of the UTSA Roadrunners, but rather a simple acknowledgment that he was an off-the-radar candidate and is still seen as an up-and-coming coach in the world of college football.

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Just because people don’t know about him, though, doesn’t mean that he isn’t highly qualified for this job. At UTSA, Stein helped an electric offense put up remarkable numbers, leading the Roadrunners to an 11-2 season that saw them become bowl-eligible.

If you want to learn more about Stein’s resume, read this. 

Now that you’re more aware of who the Ducks are getting, it’s time to dive deeper into the type of offense that he will be bringing to Oregon.

In short, it shouldn’t look much different from what we saw this past season under Kenny Dillingham. In a video that is circulating online, Stein breaks down his offensive scheme at a coaching seminar, going through the facets of the game that are important to his philosophy, and how attacking the defense with shots down the field at a minimum of 8 times per game is seen as the expectation.

Run the ball with physicality, get the ball to playmakers in open space, and take numerous shots down the field each quarter of every game. That sure sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Under Kenny Dillingham, Oregon had a similar philosophy, and it saw them become one of the top offenses in the nation under Bo Nix in 2022. It makes sense that Dan Lanning would try to find a coordinator that would be able to come to Eugene and not overhaul the system, but keep the train going in the right direction.

Lanning has done that, tabbing Stein to be the guy that leads Oregon’s offense in 2023. At just 33-years-old, he also is young enough that it’s easy to see him sticking around with the Ducks for a couple of years before leaving for potential head coaching opportunities, as we’ve seen in the past.

Whether you knew who Stein was coming into the day or not, it’s easy to view this hire as a massive win for the Ducks. The offense didn’t need much changing once Dillingham left, it just needed someone to take over where he left off.

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Social Media Buzz: Oregon fans react to hiring of Will Stein as Ducks’ new OC

Oregon fans have been waiting for this OC news for a couple of weeks now. On Monday, they celebrated the announcement of Will Stein.

News broke on Monday morning that the Oregon Ducks have filled out their coaching staff.

Former UTSA co-offensive coordinator Will Stein will take over the play-calling duties in Eugene, replacing Kenny Dillingham.

Though Stein might not have a ton of name recognition among college football fans, he helped lead one of the most potent offenses in college football last year and has been described to me as a rising star according to someone inside the Oregon program.

After a couple weeks of the OC search, Duck fans were excited to know who the hire finally was on Monday, and they took to Twitter to celebrate. Here are some of the best reactions:

Who is Will Stein? 5 things to know about Oregon’s new offensive coordinator

What are the Ducks getting in new OC Will Stein? Here’s a quick look into his coaching resume.

The question most asked when Oregon announced Will Stein had been hired to replace Kenny Dillingham as the Ducks’ offensive coordinator was, “Who?”

That’s not meant to be demeaning to Stein, who was described to Zachary Neel as a “rising star” in the coaching world. He is young, but has a lot ahead of him. It’s not a surprise many fans had to Google him once they heard the news.

The answer to that question, though, is an up-and-coming offensive guru from UT-San Antonio that should stick around for a few seasons as Dan Lanning’s staff stabilizes.

Stein has just one season of experience as an offensive coordinator. In that season, the Roadrunners took off to an 11-2 record and a berth in the Duluth Trading Co. Cure Bowl in Orlando.

UTSA ran a very similar offense to what the Ducks ran this season, which might have been the deciding factor in hiring him. There shouldn’t be a big transition for the current players.

Here are some things that you need to know about Stein:

In UTSA’s Will Stein, Dan Lanning and the Ducks are potentially getting a rising star at OC

Dan Lanning is bringing in a 33-year-old OC to run Oregon’s offense. Who are we to say that Will Stein can’t follow in Kenny Dillingham’s footsteps?

A little less than a year ago, not many Oregon Duck fans were jumping for joy when new head coach Dan Lanning announced Kenny Dillingham would be the offensive coordinator.

Dillingham, the 31-year-old OC for the Florida State Seminoles at the time, had some coaching experience, working with Mike Norvell and coaching Bo Nix, but it’s fair to say that he wasn’t viewed as a splash hire.

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Looking back, Duck fans should have been popping bottles at the news Dillingham was coming to Eugene. The success he brought to the Ducks is unmeasured, leading a resurgent Oregon offense that ranked among the best in the nation in nearly every category on the board. Dillingham returned the quarterback position to the high standard Duck fans were used to, leading Bo Nix to a Heisman Trophy worthy season before a late-season injury derailed his bid.

So with Duck fans now unsure of what to make of the newest Oregon OC hire — UTSA co-offensive coordinator Will Stein — I’m here to tell you it’s something worth getting excited for in Eugene.

Do you trust Lanning? If your answer to that question is yes, then you should be thrilled about the prospect of Stein coming to Eugene.

“Elite offensive mind, balanced offensive attack, understands how to utilize weapons,” a source told me about the OC hire on Monday. “Dude is a rising star.”

In a way, Stein fits the coaching model Lanning brought to Oregon: a young, up-and-coming guy that has shown promise at previous stops and is ready to thrive at a higher level. After playing quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals from 2008-2012, Stein moved through the coaching ranks from graduate assistant at Louisville to quality control coach for the Texas Longhorns.

After a brief stint coaching high school ball in Texas, Stein was hired as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for the UTSA Roadrunners and was later promoted to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Under Stein’s tutelage, the UTSA wideouts smashed records and emerged as one of the top groups in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2021. Joshua Cephus, De’Corian Clark and Zakhari Franklin combined to catch 204 passes for 2,585 yards and 25 TDs and made UTSA one of only three teams (Appalachian State, Ohio State) to have three receivers with at least 50 receptions and 750 yards in 2021.

This season, Franklin and Cephus combined for 2,085 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Again, I am going to go back to the notion that some Oregon fans might not be excited about this hire. I understand. Stein doesn’t have the name recognition of Joe Brady, or Chip Long or Garrett Riley. However, if you trust in Dan Lanning, then you should trust in this hire.

Nobody was celebrating when Matt Powledge, or Drew Mehringer or Adrian Klemm were hired a year ago. After a year of seeing them work, though, it’s clear the coaches Lanning surrounded himself with are among the best hires that we’ve seen at Oregon in quite some time.

Who’s to say that Stein will not be the next great offensive coordinator in college football, flooded with head coaching offers in a couple years’ time? We didn’t quite see that happening with Dillingham, but Lanning did, and look where we are now.

I love this hire. I love what I’ve seen from Stein at UTSA and how he attacks the offensive side of the ball with an aggressive scheme that puts playmakers in a place to succeed and puts points on the board.

More than that, I like this hire because I know that Lanning likes this hire. He isn’t after the big names that are going to win press conferences. He’s after coaches who are going to put his team in the best position to win games.

Lanning believes that Stein is the OC who is going to do that for Oregon.

Who am I to disagree?

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Oregon names UTSA’s Will Stein as offensive coordinator

The Oregon Ducks will hire Will Stein, the former co-OC and QB coach for the UTSA Road Runners as their next offensive coordinator.

It’s a name not many outside the NCAA coaching circles have heard of, but they’re about to.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning announced Will Stein, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from Texas San Antonio, will be the Ducks’ new OC, replacing Kenny Dillingham.

Like his predecessor, Stein likes to run a spread offense that lets his skill players shine. The Roadrunners averaged 38 points this season on their way to an 11-2 record and a berth in the Duluth Trading Co. Cure Bowl in Orlando where they will take on Troy.

Stein was the Roadrunners’ passing game coordinator for two seasons before taking over as OC in 2022.

Quarterback Frank Harris flourished in Stein’s system. He averaged nearly 300 yards per game and completed 71% of his passes. Receiver Zakhari Franklin racked up 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Under Stein’s tutelage, the UTSA wideouts smashed records and emerged as one of the top groups in the FBS in 2021. Joshua Cephus, De’Corian Clark, and Franklin combined to catch 204 passes for 2,585 yards and 25 TDs and made UTSA one of only three teams (Appalachian State, Ohio State) to have three receivers with at least 50 receptions and 750 yards in 2021.

This season, Franklin and Cephus combined for 2,085 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2022.

Stein will step into a great situation with a great deal of talent on the offensive side of the ball to work with in Eugene. It is unknown whether QB Bo Nix will return for another season — though signs seem to point to his eventual return. However, the Ducks can expect wide receiver Troy Franklin, running back Bucky Irving, RB Noah Whittington and tight end Terrance Ferguson among many others to be back in 2023. On top of that, five-star QB Dante Moore, the No. 2 QB in the 2023 class, is expected to sign with the Ducks later in December.

Under Kenny Dillingham, the previous offensive coordinator, the Ducks had the No. 8 scoring offense, No. 14 rushing offense, No. 16 passing offense, and No. 4 total offense in the nation.

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