Former Wildcat Maxwell Smith Hired as EKU Quarterbacks Coach

eastern kentucky football helmet eku — (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A former Kentucky Wildcat is moving closer to his alma mater in his move up the coaching ladder. Maxwell Smith shared on social media he will be Walt Wells’ next quarterbacks coach at Eastern Kentucky University.

Maxwell Smith was Mark Stoops’ first quarterback at Kentucky, but a knee injury prematurely ended his season. He appeared in 21 games and started in 11 game over three years, completing 60% of his passes for 3,070 yards, 21 touchdowns in nine interceptions. He transferred to San Diego State for his final season and threw for more than 1,500 yards, 13 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

The former gunslinger returned to Kentucky to start his coaching career. He was a graduate assistant for Mark Stoops between 2018-20. That is where he cultivated a relationship with Walt Wells, who was a quality control analyst for two of those seasons.

Following his time as a GA, Maxwell Smith got his first real coaching job at Heidelberg University, a Division III program in Tiffin, Oh. They went 15-5 over two seasons while Smith coached the quarterbacks.

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Another Former Kentucky Wildcat Hired

Maxwell Smith isn’t the only former Cat with a new coaching gig. Jeff Monken has hired Tristan Yeomans as an offensive quality control analyst for the United States Military Academy at West Point. Yeomans was previously a special teams assistant at Charlotte (2022) and a grad assistant at Nebraska-Kearney under newly hired Army offensive coordinator Drew Thatcher.

Yeomans was Kentucky’s long-snapper and holder from 2016-19, snapping footballs to UK record-breakers Austin MacGinnis and Max Duffy. He won 39 games, and reached three bowl games, during his career at Kentucky.