With Liam Coen back to the NFL, can Mark Stoops avoid botching Kentucky's latest OC opening?
Mark Stoops is in the market for an offensive coordinator for the fourth straight offseason. For the second time in three years, Kentucky fans went through a literal Groundhog Day as Liam Coen bolted for the NFL in early February again.
Back in 2022, Coen left Lexington for the Los Angeles Rams, and following weeks of speculation and rumors over the last month, Kentucky’s offensive coordinator is headed back to the league as the new OC for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Despite Coen’s insistence that he wasn’t “in a rush to go anywhere” and “wants to kind of go somewhere, make a real impact and plant some roots a little bit, be somewhere for a few years, at least, that you feel really good about,” his actions suggest he was clearly eager to find a new job. His name was linked to multiple NFL openings and even the Ohio State OC job.
The late-winter departure is ill-timed for the Wildcats, but it’s almost par for the course in what’s been a series of strange vibes out of Lexington this offseason.
It’s easy to forget that before all the fireworks with Nick Saban’s abrupt retirement, Alabama poaching Kalen DeBoer from Washington and Jim Harbaugh leaving Michigan for the NFL, the biggest news during the initial coaching carousel cycle was Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops seriously flirting with Texas A&M’s opening — only to remain with the Wildcats.
When Stoops opted to remain at UK, there was a kumbaya feeling within the program. That the band had decided to stay together. While Stoops fired receivers coach Scott Woodward, much-maligned OL coach Zach Yenser received a one-year contract extension and Coen, who was on a three-year deal worth around $1.8 million annually, quickly spearheaded the recruitment of former Georgia 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff.
Well, Yenser was fired six weeks later when former UK offensive line coach Eric Wolford suddenly became available with Saban’s retirement, and now Coen is gone, too.
Stoops upgraded his OL coach, but he has no obvious replacement for Coen, and when facing a similar situation two years ago, he made a very poor hire that somewhat sabotaged Will Levis’ pro prospects.
When Coen went back to the Rams in early February of 2022, Stoops decided to stick with the Sean McVay-Kyle Shanahan coaching tree by hiring Rich Scangarello. The move was a total bust, as Kentucky averaged just 20.4 points per game — nearly a two-touchdown dip from Coen’s offense the previous season. The OL was a disaster (SEC-high 47 sacks allowed) and Levis regressed as a passer.
Stoops immediately addressed the issue by firing Scangarello and bringing Coen back to Lexington. Although it wasn’t exactly a honeymoon homecoming in 2023 (Kentucky’s offense middle of the pack in the SEC averaging 29.1 points per game), the reunion with Coen was supposed to last longer than a single season.
Yet here we are again, Wildcats. Kentucky will have a different OC for the fifth consecutive fall.
2020: Eddie Gran
2021: Liam Coen
2022: Rich Scangarello
2023: Liam Coen
2024: ???
The lack of offensive staff continuity has held back Kentucky in recent years, and that’s why there was optimism when Coen and the ‘Cats landed the commitment from Vandagriff. They would have the same OC for consecutive seasons, paired with a blue-chip transfer quarterback with multiple years of eligibility remaining.
Even though Coen was the “leading factor” in his decision to transfer to Kentucky, Vandagriff is reportedly sticking around, which is big news for Stoops.
But now Kentucky’s head coach needs to make sure he avoids making the same mistake he did the first time he had to replace Liam Coen.
Stoops should probably ditch his NFL Rolodex for his next OC — especially if he doesn’t want another assistant to use Kentucky as a stepping-stone job. He needs to prioritize an OC who can develop quarterbacks — and specifically has an offense that utilizes the QB-run game as an element.
While the timing is poor, Kentucky should be able to land an attractive candidate. Coen was paid like a fringe Top 10 OC nationally, so money shouldn’t be an issue. Vandagriff has tantalizing potential, which should intrigue potential candidates, too.
Former Georgia quality control assistant and current Georgia Tech OC Buster Faulkner would be an interesting option, especially considering he knows Vandagriff and just did wonders with Texas A&M transfer QB Haynes King. Ex-Alabama OC Tommy Rees, Akron head coach Joe Moorehead and former Duke OC Kevin Johns are potential targets, too.
Mark Stoops simply needs to make sure he gets this hire right, and whoever he decides is his guy, he needs to make sure that OC stays in Lexington for longer than just a single season.