Thank You, Liam Coen

Thank you, Liam Coen. The offensive coordinator is off to the NFL after one season with the Wildcats. The news of his departure brings on a peculiar sense of relief after weeks of worried speculation. It also yields grave concern about the unknown. 

Mark Stoops coveted balance when he moved on from Eddie Gran. Coen delivered with an offense that averaged 200 yards rushing and passing per game. Coen’s unit experienced early bumps in the road, especially in the turnover margin. But, Kentucky averaged over 519 yards and 41 points in the last five games of the 2021 season. 

The Cats also won ten games and the Citrus Bowl. Coen’s lone season has to be viewed as an overwhelming success. His passing offense saw a jump by over 100 yards per outing. But, this loss hurts. Not personally, mind you. Remember, it’s not personal, it’s personnel. I’m sincerely happy for him. It does sting a little because year two Coen with Will Levis was projected to be a Top-15 offense in college football in 2022. 

Coen’s success is extraordinarily astounding after producing a pro-style offense with a two-deep that had been constructed to fistfight in a phone booth for the past five seasons. Quarterback Will Levis started ablaze after throwing for 367 yards and four scores in the opener against Louisiana Monroe. He endured a rough spell while learning the system and adjusting to life as a full-time starter. Levis went on to show weekly improvement after the Mississippi State game. Wan’Dale Robinson also soared. The receiver smashed record books in his one-and-done Wildcat career. Kentucky is known for its physicality and run game. That trait carried over. Chris Rodriguez Jr. finished the season ranked second in the SEC after rushing for 106 yards per contest. 

What or who’s next? That’s uncertain at this time. I do think that Stoops was pleased with Coen’s vamped-up philosophy and will look to sustain recent trends. Continuity is going to be a priority in the search. That could be accomplished by either an internal hire or an external version with an NFL background.

Other than offensive tackle and several new pass catchers, the pieces are in place for another offensive jump behind Will Levis in year two. Rodriguez is poised to break records and Vince Marrow’s group of tight ends is deep and talented. The Big Blue Wall is in a rebuild. Midyear All-American guard Eli Cox is back and joined by veteran Kenneth Horsey. There’s a great deal of work to be done before taking on Miami (Ohio). Circling back, continuity is the key word. This applies to recruiting as well. Kentucky just signed a Top-15 class to this specific style of offense. 

What Does All This Mean? 

I’m not a Rams fan. I will now follow that team more closely. Liam Coen did a whole heck of a lot of good in Lexington in a short amount of time. He was excellent as a play-caller and was gaining juice in the recruiting world. Coen made the Kentucky offense fun again. Playing in a pro-style system provided ammunition for attracting prospects to Lexington which was evident by an influx of highly sought-after receivers that now call Lexington home.

The Coen Effect also trickles down to this year’s draft class. Luke Fortner, Darian Kinnard, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Dare Rosenthal are advanced in grease board tactics with prospective NFL teams. The hope for Kentucky is to find the “Next” Liam Coen. That won’t be an easy task. His name was mentioned for several college jobs and multiple NFL openings. Coen was the “Hot” coordinator of the cycle. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Better to be coveted than irrelevant, right? 

Football is cyclical. The Air Raid surfaced on the big stage at Kentucky in the not-so-distant past and developed into a craze that swept through college football like a tumbleweed. Next up were the spread and the RPO variants that came later. Today, pro-style systems are making their way back to college football. Stoops caught lightning in a bottle with his last hire. Can he do it again? I certainly have trust that he will. 

Spring practice will start soon. A new offensive leader will need to be in place prior to the pads start popping in early March. The 2022 scheme will likely be similar to the one in 2021. That would be playing to personnel strengths that include a rising quarterback and forceful running back. Thankfully, Coen is moving on to the NFL and not another college job. Concerns about key players entering the Portal to follow the play-caller are off the table. That’s a good thing. No, that’s a very good thing in today’s world when a team’s trajectories can significantly alter with a change of mind. 

Thanks, Liam. Wins over Florida, LSU, Louisville, and Iowa were fun. You left the Kentucky job in better shape than when you took over. That’s a sign of progress. For Kentucky’s sake, let’s hope the advancement is maintained and momentum continues. I’m still not a fan of the LA Rams. But, I’m a Liam Coen fan.