Report: Kentucky football bringing back former offensive line coach, Alabama assistant
Just less than two months after signing offensive line coach Zach Yenser to a one-year contract extension, Kentucky football is making a change at the position.
A UK spokeswoman confirmed Friday that Yenser was no longer on the staff, one day after reports surfaced that UK was set to hire former Alabama offensive line coach Eric Wolford to the same position he vacated after the 2021 season. The move was first reported by FootballScoop.com.
Wolford, a Youngstown, Ohio, native like UK head coach Mark Stoops, coached the offensive line at Kentucky for one season in 2021 before leaving for a job on Nick Saban’s Alabama staff. Wolford was not retained at Alabama when Saban retired and was replaced by former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer.
Wolford’s return comes as something of a surprise considering there were multiple reports at the time of his departure that Kentucky coaches were upset that he accepted the Alabama job without returning to Lexington to inform his players or colleagues.
Two years of offensive line struggles appear to have mended those fences though.
In Yenser’s first season as offensive line coach in 2022, Kentucky ranked 126th of 131 teams nationally in sacks allowed. That unit did post improvement last season, surrendering 22 sacks in 13 games, but the run blocking drew more criticism in 2023.
On Nov. 30, Yenser signed a one-year contract extension that would pay him $650,000 for the 2024 season. His previous contract was set to expire in June. Now, UK must pay Yenser his monthly salary through June 2025.
Wolford, who spent five seasons as the head coach at Youngstown State from 2010 to 2014, helped Kentucky to a 10-3 record in 2021 by coaching an offensive line that included two NFL draft picks in center Luke Fortner and right tackle Darian Kinnard. In just one year on UK’s staff, Wolford made a recruiting impact as well, serving as one of the lead recruiters for star defensive lineman Deone Walker.
At Alabama, Wolford’s offensive line drew significant criticism for much of the 2023 season though. The Crimson Tide ranked 125th of 133 teams in sacks allowed per game (3.5).
This story was originally published January 25, 2024 at 6:24 PM.