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.
Intro to Will Stein pic.twitter.com/bwPt4ZuFXD
— QB11 (@Qb11Sd) December 5, 2022
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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