ATLANTA, Ga. (WDRB) -- Will Stein has two depth charts. Two recruiting boards. Two call sheets. Two group texts. And at least two phone chargers.
He's coordinating a College Football Playoff offense in Oregon and building an SEC program 2,400 miles away in Kentucky.
You think your January is busy?
Stein is trying to solve Indiana's top-five defense in one breath and convince a wide receiver to sign with Kentucky in the next. He's scripting red-zone packages with Dante Moore, then Zooming with assistant coaching candidates in Lexington.
And somehow, he's keeping the hats straight. Though he did tell a Big Ten Network crew on Thursday, "I need to make sure I have the right hat on."
It says a lot about Stein, a former quarterback at Trinity and the University of Louisville. Most guys, these days, are on to the new job before the old job is finished. Lane Kiffin walked out on a national championship team rather than honor what he was doing at Ole Miss.
It's a different story for Stein, who said he never considered not fulfilling his Oregon duties.
"You've known me for a long time," Stein told me this week. "I'd feel like a complete fraud if I didn't (coach Oregon through this). I'm in this position because of Dan Lanning, because of Bo Nix, Dylan Gabriel, Dante Moore. I wouldn't be here without these guys. For me to get up and leave would be asinine."
So he didn't. He stayed. And that says something.
A lot of coaches say they want to "finish the job." Stein's doing it, while simultaneously starting a new one.
In the performative world of coaching transitions, that's rare. It's also revealing.
Because what he's shown this week — amid portal movement, staff hires, game prep, time-zone hopping and toddler snacks — is that he doesn't just want to lead a program. He can juggle one. Or two. Somebody asked him on Wednesday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium how he handled all the distractions. He said he's got a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old (they stayed home for this game). He knows something about the topic.
"Everybody's dealing with something," Stein said. "The ones who adapt best are the ones who win."
There's your pull quote, Kentucky fans.
At Oregon, Stein has helped build one of the nation's most explosive offenses — No. 1 in plays of 20+ yards. But against Indiana earlier this season, they managed just two. The Hoosiers sacked Oregon six times and rattled the rhythm.
Now, Stein gets a second shot. And a second job. At the same time.
No pressure.
But if Kentucky is looking for a leader who doesn't flinch amid chaos, who sees loyalty as more than a slogan, who lives in the moment instead of plotting his next one, well, this week was a pretty good preview.
"I'm blessed to be in the position I'm in," he said. "It's really surreal that I'm in this position. I really just try to focus my, all my energy on what I'm doing at the present moment, you know, and not trying to think too much about things I can't control. What I know that I can control is trying to be the best offense coordinator for the Oregon Ducks right now. Give our guys a great plan and give it my all to this university who's given me so much and my family so much."
Will Stein doesn't just have two jobs.
He seems to be handling them both like a pro.
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