Oregon’s football coaching staff is full of up-and-comers in the coaching profession and the Ducks just hired one more.
Head Coach Dan Lanning announced on Monday that UT-San Antonio offensive coordinator Will Stein was hired for the same position, replacing Kenny Dillingham.
In his first and only season as the Roadrunner OC, Stein ran a similar offense the Ducks orchestrated in 2022.
He was UTSA’s passing game coordinator in the previous two seasons.
With Stein calling the shots, the Roadrunners exploded for 39 points a game and nearly 490 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Frank Harris threw for nearly 300 yards a game and tossed for 31 touchdowns and ran in nine more.
Stein’s offense at UTSA was very similar to what the Ducks ran this year, a spread that utilized the skill positions as much as possible. He also had the talents of receivers such as Zachari Franklin (1,100 yards, 14 TD) and Joshua Cephus (985 yards, 6 TD).
Stein will be stepping into a nice situation in Eugene, with a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball to work with. Quarterback Bo Nix might stick around for one more season. Lanning said Nix will play in the Holiday Bowl against North Carolina.
Even if Nix does declare for the NFL after the bowl, the Ducks still expect receiver Troy Franklin, tailbacks Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington as well as tight end Terrance Ferguson all to be back in 2023 along with a whole host of other skill players.
Not to be forgotten, 5-star quarterback Dante Moore, the No. 2 rated signal caller in the 2023 class, is expected to sign with Oregon later in December.
Lanning said the OC job was coveted and he wasn’t kidding.
“You want to hire good people and create moments like that for people, Lanning said before the hire.
“I knew that there was always going to be an opportunity potentially for Kenny and there will be for other coaches in the future and our staff. We’re going to be a staff that has great coaches.”
It seems as though Lanning has found a good person and the right person that fits the bill.