It reportedly didn’t take long for Kentucky to line up its next head football coach.<\/p>\n
After athletic director Mitch Barnhart released a statement<\/a> Monday revealing it fired Mark Stoops, the school officially hired Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, via Pete Thamel<\/a> of ESPN.<\/p>\n “I’m honored and excited to become the next head coach at Kentucky,” Stein said in a statement. <\/p>\n Ross Dellenger<\/a> of Yahoo Sports first reported the Wildcats were “working toward a deal” to make Stein the program’s next head coach.<\/p>\n “The sides are expected to finalize the agreement soon,” Dellenger reported.<\/p>\n According to Thamel<\/a>, Stein will remain as Oregon’s offensive coordinator through the College Football Playoff and “juggle both jobs.”<\/p>\n Stoops had been the head coach at Kentucky for 13 seasons and finished with a record of 82-80. He remains the program’s all-time winningest coach and took home the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year when he led the Wildcats to a 10-3 record and Citrus Bowl win.<\/p>\n That was the first of four straight seasons that ended in bowl victories, including the 10-3 effort in 2021.<\/p>\n However, Kentucky went 4-8 in 2024 and 5-7 in 2025 and has clearly fallen behind many of its SEC rivals. Saturday’s 41-0 loss to in-state rival Louisville seemed to be the final straw, and it decided to make a change.<\/p>\n It will be a costly change, though, since ESPN’s Pete Thamel<\/a> reported the school will owe Stoops more than $37 million to be paid out within 60 days.<\/p>\n