Kentucky Wildcats coach Will Stein had his introductory press conference for the first time since being announced as the team’s coach earlier this week. Stein is the former offensive coordinator for the Oregon Ducks and delivered his first message to Wildcats fans. Stein also talked about his relationship with Oregon coach Dan Lanning:

“Dan, he’s been phenomenal. I mean, talk about just an amazing person, human, supporter, innovative. He’s taught me so much. He’s been 100 percent in support of this. It’s been really cool to see. He’s going to be somebody I’ll lean on while I’m here,” Stein said about Lanning.

“He’s leaned on his mentors throughout his process. He will be the first one to tell you he’s growth mindset oriented. He is always going to try to look to get better. I am going to use Dan as long as I live, as long as he wants to answer my calls because he means that much to me. It’s cool he’s done that,” continued Stein.

Will Stein: “I Didn’t Come Here To Be Average”

The Oregon Ducks will be in need of a new offensive coordinator after Will Stein announced that he would be taking the vacant Kentucky coaching job. This will be the first head coaching job for Stein, who played his collegiate career with the Louisville Cardinals from 2008 through 2012. 

“The vision is really simple. It’s to win. I didn’t come here to be average. I didn’t come here to be mediocre. I came here to win, and to win championships” Stein said in his press conference. “I’ve won at every singe level that I’ve been at; high school, college, and now the goal is to win here.”

Kentucky fired longtime coach Mark Stoops folowing the Wildcats 5-7 2025 season. Kentucky has not made a bowl game since 2023. Stoops was at Kentucky since 2013. Despite the program having a losing record in back to back seasons, Stein expects to start winning right now.

“Not win five years, 10 years down the road, to do it now. The way that you do that is you work,” Stein said. “Success is not free. Rent is due every damn that we’re here. And we’re going to work to get that done to make Big Blue Nation proud and make our players proud and do it the right way.”

MORE: Internal and External Candidates Who Could Replace Oregon’s Will Stein

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MORE: Impact Of Oregon Ducks Losing Offensive Coordinator Will Stein To Kentucky 

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Stein To Stay With Oregon Though College Football Playoff

With the news that Stein would be taking the Kentucky job, Oregon fans immediately wanted to know if he would be staying with the team through their playoff run. The Ducks are currently ranked No. 5 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and look primed to host a first round game.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning stated that Stein along with defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, who took the vacant California Golden Bears coaching job, would be with the team for the playoff.

“Certainly the plan is for those guys to be able to go help us go through and chase what we want to finish this season,” Lanning said in a press conference.

Stein also talked about the situation at Oregon while he was at his Kentucky conference.

“There’s a team back in Eugene, Oregon that is also counting on me to call ball plays,” Stein said. “I owe it to those players – to finish what I’ve started. Those guys are working their butt off to create a game plan against whoever we end up playing in that first round.”

This is a huge boost for the Oregon offense led by quarterback Dante Moore, who will still have his offensive coordinator on his side as they try to bring home the program’s first ever national championship

Now the Zags are hoping to push the series to 3-1 on Friday, and to further put last week’s 40-point massacre via Michigan in the rearview mirror.

Kentucky, for its part, is coming off a frustrating loss to a ranked team as well after falling to North Carolina at home on Tuesday, 67-64, as part of the ACC-SEC challenge. The ‘Cats shot 1-13 from three and went ten full minutes without a made field goal in the second half – although amazingly they held a lead for most of that time, before UNC freshman guard Derek Dixon put the team on his back and scored five points in the final minute to win it for the ‘Heels.

Both Gonzaga and Kentucky are looking to get back into the win column and re-establish themselves as true contenders heading into conference play.

Kentucky is also going to have to do it without its complete squad, which has been the case all season long. Jayden Quaintance, an elite rim-protecting big man who transferred from Arizona State, has yet to debut this season after offseason knee surgery. It does not sound like he is particularly close to returning. The same is true for Pitt transfer point guard Jaland Lowe, who has dealt with shoulder issues since the preseason and is “loosely practicing” without doing any five-on-five.

Kentucky could also be without big man Mo Dioubate, who suffered an ankle injury against Michigan State that coach Pope called “a pretty nasty sprain”.

Gonzaga will still have to bring their A game to win in an expected hostile environment in Nashville. Kentucky is a strong rebounding team that, like Michigan, boasts one of the better interior defenses in the country. A lot of their success has come against bad teams, with no wins against teams ranked higher than 192 at KenPom.

If Gonzaga can get back to dominating on the boards, forcing turnovers, scoring in transition, and maybe hitting a few outside shots, they should be able to come away with another Quad 1 win and a commanding 3-1 lead in this six-game series.

Below is how and where to watch Gonzaga take on Kentucky this Friday:

How to watch Gonzaga vs. Kentucky

Date: Friday, Dec. 5

Game time: 4:00 p.m. PT

Where: Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN)

How to watch: ESPN2

How to listen: 96.1 FM (local) and Varsity Sports App

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