The Loss of Liam Coen and what it means for Recruiting
The imminent departure of Liam Coen is leaving a vacancy within the Kentucky football program. While obviously filling the void is the most pertinent issue at hand, there’s also a void in Kentucky’s recruiting department. Let’s break down what the loss means for Kentucky and their pursuit of prospective players across the country.
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Coen Picked a Bad Time to Leave
By now, you’ve seen the guest list. There’s a loaded roster of recruits coming to town tomorrow for Kentucky Junior Day. Some of those players learned Liam was interviewing with the Bucs’ job from other SEC coaches. The Kentucky coaches have been put in a terrible, terrible spot on what should have been a weekend filled with nothing but positives.
Stone Saunders and 2025 QB Recruiting
The return of Liam Coen for the 2023 season salvaged the Wildcats’ quarterback recruiting efforts. It’s difficult to pick up a high school quarterback in just one season. They must be targeted early and courted over multiple years. Coen recruited Cutter Boley in 2021. When he returned two years later, they picked up right where they left off.
Recruiting Stone Saunders happened naturally. Saunders’ father trained Coen back in the day, establishing a relationship that turned into a commitment. Without Coen in the picture, it’s hard to imagine Saunders in the picture.
Kentucky needs a couple of quarterbacks in the 2025 recruiting class. This will now become much more difficult. However, the day before all of this news broke, Vince Marrow and Eric Wolford were visiting Brennen Ward. He’s making a return trip to Lexington for Junior Day. Kentucky isn’t completely out of the woods.
Daikiel Shorts Picks Up Slack
Coen recruited quarterbacks from various regions around the country. From a regional standpoint, he primarily focused on his old stomping grounds in the Mid-Atlantic. The good news — Kentucky doesn’t have to abandon that area.
Brad White has roots in the area, but he’s not alone. Daikiel Shorts is a New Jersey native who spent his first week on the job offering various wide receivers around the region.
Coen was a Natural Magnet of Transfer Portal Talent
Kentucky does not need to recruit the Mid-Atlantic to get players. They’ve survived without recruiting high school quarterbacks. The biggest absence will be felt in the transfer portal.
The pro-style system drew quarterbacks and wide receivers to Kentucky. Will Levis and Wan’Dale Robinson provided a blueprint for success. Replicating that magic isn’t impossible, but it’s not a guarantee. With Kentucky behind the 8-ball in high school quarterback recruiting, Stoops must ensure the Wildcats continue to maintain a reputation as a successful transfer portal destination.
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