Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Top Oregon Coach in the Running for Ohio State Offensive Coordinator Job

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Feb 3, 2025 9:00 PM ET

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has gotten used to coaches coming to Eugene, elevating their stock and then leaving for bigger and better jobs elsewhere. In fact, he encourages it.

Over the years, Lanning has routinely said that one of his biggest goals is to help the people in his life succeed and get to where they want to go, especially when that means moving up the coaching ladder. So far, we've see guys like offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham leave to take the head coaching job at Arizona State, offensive line coach Adrian Klemm move to the NFL with the New England Patriots, and safeties coach Matt Powledge move to Baylor to take over as the defensive coordinator.

Coaching mobility is part of the sport, but that doesn't mean it isn't painful to deal with at some points. According to recent reports, Lanning and the Ducks may have to deal with a pretty painful departure on the staff.

Pete Nakos at On3 recently put together a list of candidates for the Ohio State Buckeyes' offensive coordinator vacancy after Chip Kelly left to take over as the next play-caller for the Las Vegas Raiders. Near the top of Nakos' hotboard was Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein.

Here's what Nakos had to say:

"He stepped in as Oregon’s offensive coordinator a year ago and helped Bo Nix finish third in Heisman voting. Will Stein’s 2022 UTSA offense ranked No. 9 nationally in total offense (486.1 yards) and No. 12 in scoring offense (38.7 points). A former Louisville quarterback, he interviewed for the San Diego State job last year. Stein helped develop another Heisman Trophy finalist this season in Dillon Gabriel. The Oregon quarterback threw for 3,857 yards with 30 touchdowns and only six interceptions. The Ducks averaged 34.9 points and 437.4 yards per game in 2024."

Oregon's offense under Stein has been near the top of the nation over the past two seasons, and he has widely been thought of as a strong head coaching candidate at the college level in the near future.

This potential move for Stein would make sense with a pay increase, but as far as the coaching ladder goes, it is a relatively lateral change. Already, Stein is a well-paid coordinator, making $1.4 million in 2024, and set to make $1.5 million in 2025. That ranked as the 11th highest-paid OC in the nation last year. Of course, Kelly made $2 million in 2024, which was the second highest in the nation, behind Notre Dame's Mike Denbrock.

Other candidates who made Nakos' list were Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, Miami Hurricanes OC Shannon Dawson, and Akron Zips head coach Joe Moorhead.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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