Will Stein, Kentucky football‘s head coach and Oregon‘s offensive coordinator, is one of several newly hired Power Four head football coaches sticking with their former teams through their 2025 College Football Playoff run.
Others include Jon Sumrall (Tulane head coach to Florida), Bob Chesney (James Madison head coach to UCLA), Tosh Lupoi (Oregon defensive coordinator to Cal), Brian Hartline (Ohio State OC to USF) and JaMarcus Shepard (Alabama co-offensive coordinator to Oregon State).
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In this era of midseason hirings and firings, who’s paying coaches between gigs?
In Stein’s case, the answer is two schools at once. His contract with UK was effective Dec. 2, according to a copy of his term sheet The Courier Journal obtained via records request. While the term sheet does not specify how often Stein will be paid, former Kentucky coach Mark Stoops’ original contract language said his $400,000 base salary (the same as Stein’s) would be doled out monthly, and his “multiple media and endorsements” money would be issued quarterly.
Stein signed a contract extension with Oregon on March 7. His official title was assistant coach/offensive coordinator. The contract term ran from Feb. 1, 2025, to Jan. 31, 2028. He had a guaranteed salary of $1.75 million per year. In terminating his agreement early, Stein owes Oregon 50% of his remaining guaranteed salary, per his contract.
The performance-based incentive section of Stein’s agreement with Oregon states “Coach must be employed by University and serve as assistant football coach/offensive coordinator in the game to earn the applicable bonus.” Because he will continue his responsibilities with Oregon football until the conclusion of its season, he’ll be eligible for any of the following cumulative bonuses, Oregon athletics spokesperson Jimmy Stanton confirmed to The Courier Journal. Regardless of the fact that he accepted a job with UK before the end of the “Period of Competition.”
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Compete in CFP Quarterfinals Game: $15,000
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Compete in CFP Semi-Finals Game: $20,000
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Compete in CFP National Championship Game: $25,000
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Win CFP National Championship Game: $50,000
The No. 5-seeded Ducks will play the No. 12-seeded James Madison Dukes on Dec. 20 in the first round of the CFP. If Oregon wins, it’ll play No. 4-seeded Texas Tech in the quarterfinals.
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com and follow her on X @petitus25. Subscribe to her “Full-court Press” newsletter here for a behind-the-scenes look at how college sports’ biggest stories are impacting Louisville and Kentucky athletics.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Will Stein with Oregon in CFP, building UK football. Who’s paying him?
