Imagine juggling two high-pressure, full-time jobs simultaneously – that was Will Stein's reality! Just as he was introduced as the Kentucky head football coach on December 3rd, the transfer portal was about to close. But here's the kicker: he was still fully committed to his other job, coaching at Oregon. Talk about a whirlwind!
On December 20th, Oregon triumphed over James Madison at Autzen Stadium, and on New Year's Day, they knocked out Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. The very next day, Stein was back in Lexington, Kentucky, for the initial transfer portal visits. He didn't stay long, though, before heading back to Eugene to prepare for a semifinal match against Indiana. Following that loss in Atlanta, he immediately returned to his duties in Kentucky.
Despite this incredible balancing act, Stein met the high expectations of his new boss, Mitch Barnhart. Barnhart was truly impressed with Stein's ability to manage it all, and he gave a lot of credit to Dan Lanning for his flexibility throughout the process.
"I'm amazed how seamlessly he did that," Barnhart stated. "I think Dan having done that when he left Georgia to go to Oregon, they had a gameplan on how to make that work. Dan was incredibly helpful in that process and kind to allow him the ability to come back and forth like he did."
"The amount of effort that took on Will’s part to try and be respectful and honor his team that he worked so hard with to develop, and then to be in the middle of trying to hire a staff and get everything in place for what ends up being a really short amount of time to get your roster right, that’s a heck of an effort."
And this is the part most people miss: Stein's first task was building a staff of almost two dozen people, delegating responsibilities while he prepared to call plays in the College Football Playoff. There were countless Zoom calls to ensure everyone was on the same page and ready to hit the ground running once the transfer portal opened.
Now that the juggling act is over and free agency is wrapping up, Stein can fully dedicate his efforts to the Kentucky facility, aiming to ensure the Wildcats have a successful first season under his leadership.
"The fact that Will and his group did that fairly seamlessly at this point in time, it’s amazing… For him to be able to get the winter workouts going, get his culture created, and get to a spot where he can walk through a spring practice and get his system is really, really important," Barnhart added. "Then you gotta go play a really difficult SEC schedule in the fall, and off we go."
What do you think? Do you believe Stein's ability to handle both roles simultaneously will set him up for success at Kentucky? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
