Bush Hamdan shares how difficult leaving Boise State was

It wasn’t easy for Bush Hamdan to leave Boise State to take the offensive coordinator job at Kentucky. A former Broncos quarterback, he had been the OC at his alma mater for just one season before the Wildcats came calling.

Hamdan weighed the decision heavily, as Boise State had just won the Mountain West and looked like a potential contender to earn an automatic bid in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. However, the UK job was ultimately something he couldn’t decline.

“Probably the most difficult of my career,” Hamdan said of leaving Boise. “You look at exactly 2012)what was done over the last 3-4 months there. The retention of Ashton Jeanty, bringing in the quarterback and two receivers. That place will always hold a special place in my heart. For me, between Mark Stoops and Mitch Barnhart, their tenure here speaks to their commitment of Kentucky and what they’ve done here.”

The opportunity to coach in the SEC was part of the reason that drew Hamdan to Lexington. He has previous experience in the conference as a receivers coach at Florida (2012) and receivers and quarterbacks coach at Missouri (2020-22).

Now he gets the chance to test his ability to run an offense in what is widely regarded as the best conference in college football. He also joins a Wildcats team on the rise under Stoops, having won 10 games twice in the past six seasons.

“It’s the SEC,” Hamdan said. “It’s my third time I’ve been here. I know what this conference is all about. Anybody in coaching wants to be the best and I think this conference certainly forces you to do that. I remember those days of being at Florida, being at Missouri. Going to Kroger Field and knowing what this place is about, knowing what this fan base is about. The mixture of those three things just made this a job I couldn’t pass up on.”

Bush Hamdan coached Boise State to have the nation’s No. 7 rushing offense this past season with 214.9 ground yards per game. He was also an offensive coordinator at Washington in 2018 and 2019, helping the Huskies to rank 41st in scoring offense during his second season in Seattle.

Kentucky’s offense loses both leading rusher Ray Davis and starting quarterback Devin Leary in 2024. However, receivers Dane Key and Barion Brown return to give Hamdan a couple of weapons to work with in the passing game.

The Wildcats also brought in Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff and signed four-star freshman Cutter Boley, the No. 3 player from the state of Kentucky according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Additionally, Kentucky got a transfer commitment from Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum. It’s clear Hamdan has plenty to work with in a new-look roster for the Wildcats, and we’ll see whether he can put the pieces together in his first season.