Following visit, Kentucky QB commit Stone Saunders expecting Liam Coen to stay

Kentucky quarterback commit Stone Saunders has a relationship with Liam Coen that dates back long before he was a nationally-ranked high school recruit. So when Saunders returned to Lexington for a visit over the weekend, he didn’t need to spend the entire time attached to Coen’s hip.

“(Coen) came to dinner. It was his anniversary with his wife so we didn’t want to take up too much of his time,” Saunders said of Kentucky’s offensive coordinator. “I know Coach Coen pretty well. It was his anniversary, so I didn’t need much time with him. But it was good, just talking about everything going on, transfers, and everything like that.”

Saunders’ trip was his first to Lexington since he was in town for the Kentucky-Alabama football game in November. This time around, he hung out primarily with associate head coach Vince Marrow, who took Saunders to the Kentucky-Georgia men’s basketball game on Saturday night. Saunders remembers being struck by how popular Marrow was with the fan base when the two went to eat at KSBar and Grille.

The Harrisburg (PA) Bishop McDevitt product also got to meet with the Wildcats’ new wide receivers coach, Daikiel Shorts.

More importantly, the elephant in the room was addressed with Saunders. Coen’s name continues to be thrown around as a possible candidate for offensive coordinator positions in the NFL. Nothing has been decided one way or the other, but Saunders was told that Coen plans to stick around Kentucky.

“He didn’t take any other jobs and he said he’s staying, so that was great news for everybody,” Saunders said. “He loves the area in Lexington, he’s got a house, everything is great for him. I think he’s pretty content with being there.”

Moving forward, Saunders plans to put on his recruiting hat for Kentucky. He already has a couple of wide receivers in mind that he’ll start to talk more with. As of now, Saunders — ranked No. 364 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking — is the lone class of 2025 commit for the Wildcats. With an important Junior Day coming up on Feb. 3, that could change in the forthcoming weeks.