Kentucky football chief of staff reassigned, employment to end in November
The University of Kentucky football program has eliminated its chief of staff position, a job held by longtime staffer Dan Berezowitz since 2018.
UK spokesperson Tony Neely confirmed to the Herald-Leader that Berezowitz, who’s been on Mark Stoops’ staff since his inaugural season in 2013, has been reassigned within the athletic department following a “reorganization” of roles in the department.
Berezowitz will remain in UK’s employment through Nov. 29 and as of Thursday has no responsibilities pertaining to the football program. Until his employment ends, he will act upon “duties as assigned.”
Before becoming the football program’s chief of staff, Berezowitz was UK’s director of recruiting operations from 2014-2017. He was the recruiting coordinator at Arizona under Stoops’ brother, Mike Stoops, for four years (2004-2007), and was the first person to hold the sole title of “recruiting coordinator” at Kentucky when he was hired for that position in 2013.
“I just want to say how much I appreciate the work he’s done here for a long time,” Stoops said during his regular Thursday news conference. “He’s a guy that works, really, around the clock. Sacrifices his life to this university. I greatly appreciate Dan and the work that he did for us here. That’s really all I want to say as far as the reorganization and personnel and all that.”
Berezowitz was suspended with pay by the school in July after an assault charge was filed against him in Fayette District Court. That charge was dismissed in August but Berezowitz remained suspended.
Receivers coach
This is the second staff shake-up to come to light this week. It was revealed Monday, via UK’s pregame notes released for its season opener, that wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight has been reassigned to the role of a quality control coach, with staffer Scott Woodward filling in as the receivers position coach. Bouknight was arrested for a DUI in May but later agreed to a plea deal that saw that charge dismissed.
Stoops during his Thursday availability said he couldn’t remember, specifically, when the call was made for Woodward to replace Bouknight as UK’s receivers coach. In a suspension letter dated May 11, obtained by the Herald-Leader through an open records request, Mitch Barnhart wrote that Bouknight would be assigned new duties by Stoops at the expiration of his suspension.
Woodward in games will coach from the sky box, acting as “eyes upstairs” for Liam Coen, who will coach from the sidelines. The two played together at UMass — Woodward was the backup quarterback to Coen — and Woodward was a quality control coach at Pittsburgh before joining UK in that same role this offseason.
“He just sees the game very similarly,” Coen said this week. “Just adds another dimension to the receiver room, of just seeing things through a quarterback’s lens. That always helps with the receivers and everybody being on the same page.”
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 3:41 PM.
