Kentucky Football Announces the Return of Liam Coen as Offensive Coordinator
Liam Coen is officially back in the Bluegrass.
The Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator is returning to Kentucky to take over the same position, which he previously held in 2021. NFL insider Chris Mortensen originally reported the news on Dec. 9. Kentucky football officially announced the return on Tuesday:
“I’m very excited to welcome Liam and his family back to Kentucky,” coach Mark Stoops said in a press release. “It was evident that he made a dramatic impact in the one season he was with our team. He brings a great deal of knowledge, and he also brings an excitement that players and recruits can relate to.”
Coen was with the Rams from 2018-2020, where he was an assistant wide receivers coach, then assistant quarterbacks coach. He was then hired to replace Eddie Gran, who was relieved of his OC and running backs coach duties after a five-year stint from 2016-2020.
“Ashley and I are thrilled to be back in Lexington” Coen said. “I want to thank Coach Stoops and Mitch Barnhart for the amazing opportunity. I also want to thank Coach McVay for his mentorship and guidance and the Rams organization for their support throughout this process. I can’t wait to get to work in helping lead the UK offense and bring a championship to Big Blue Nation!”
Coen's new contract is for three years and breaks down as follows:
- $1.7 million in 2023
- $1.8 million in 2024
- $1.9 million in 2025
In his sole year as play-caller, Coen's pro-style attack spearheaded Kentucky to its best offensive season under head coach Mark Stoops, as it ranked 47th in total offense en route to its fourth 10-win season in program history.
Coen was high on Penn State transfer Will Levis, who would have a career year for the Wildcats in 2021, throwing for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns. Wan'Dale Robinson had a stellar year at wide receiver, racking up 1,334 receiving yards and seven scores, while Chris Rodriguez had his best season at running back, finishing the year with 1,379 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns.
The season was capped off with a 20-17 Citrus Bowl victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes. Over in Los Angeles, the Rams would climb the mountain, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals to win the 2021-22 Super Bowl.
In the offseason, Rams OC Kevin O'Connell would leave LA to become the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. With that OC spot newly vacant, Rams head coach Sean McVay wasted no time in finding O'Connell's replacement, quickly snatching up Coen to take his spot, announcing his official return on March 2.
The departure saw Stoops go back to the NFL for Kentucky's next offensive coordinator, hiring San Fransisco 49ers QBs coach Rich Scangarello. There was a clear decline in the Wildcats' offense, as they finished in a tie for 106th in total offense in 2022, averaging a measly 22.1 points-per-game, finishing the regular season with a 5-7 record.
Back in LA, the Rams' Super Bowl defense has gone poorly, as they currently stand at 4-9, with the playoffs out of sight.
Scangarello was relieved of his duties on Nov. 29, opening up Kentucky's OC position for the third-consecutive year.
On Monday, Stoops spoke to reporters, detailing the change in the staff and what he was looking for in his next play-caller:
"There's many factors that go into it as you can imagine, i'll be guarded in that out of respect that I have for Rich (Scangarello), I think he's a very good football coach that's very bright. Sometimes things don't work out and sometimes you need to make a change for a variety of reasons. I don't want to throw one or two of those out there and have it grab a headline," he said. "Obviously I felt the change was needed or I would not have done it. I'm very excited about where this could lead."
"I feel like there's some very good options out there, and i'm not going to limit myself, so we'll see where it goes, i'm optimistic, i'm excited," he added. "Each time this position seems to open up, there's even more and more interest in the job, which is a good sign to me."
Despite being in the middle of an NFL season, Coen will make the jump back to the Bluegrass.
Coen played quarterback in college at UMass from 2004-2008. He then jumped into coaching in 2010, becoming the QBs coach at Brown University. His first coordinating gig came in 2016 at Maine, just two years before his first stint with the Rams.
The 37-year old is a native of Warwick, Rhode Island.
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