Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen is reportedly interviewing for another job — again
Kentucky football is not assured of retaining offensive coordinator Liam Coen after all.
Just more than a week after the Wildcats appeared to dodge a bullet when the Chicago Bears did not hire Coen as offensive coordinator after he interviewed to the job, Coen has been linked with two more openings.
The NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to interview Coen for their open offensive coordinator job in “the next few days,” according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud later tweeted Coen’s interview with the Buccaneers was scheduled for Thursday. In Tampa, Coen could be reunited with quarterback Baker Mayfield, whom he previously coached with the Los Angeles Rams.
Wednesday evening Coen was also listed as a candidate for Boston College’s head coaching job by 247Sports after reports emerged that Boston College coach Jeff Hafley was leaving for an NFL defensive coordinator position with the Green Bay Packers. A Rhode Island native, Coen would bring extensive New England ties to the job since he also starred as a college quarterback at Massachusetts.
The latest rumors of Coen considering leaving Kentucky after just one season for the second time come only days after UK coach Mark Stoops brought former UK and Alabama assistant Eric Wolford back to Lexington as offensive line coach. Stoops told “BBN Tonight” that he made that decision in consultation with Coen.
Coen and Wolford previously coached together at UK in 2021, but Coen returned to the NFL as the Rams offensive coordinator and Wolford left for Alabama after that season.
“They are familiar with each other,” Stoops told BBN Tonight, “that’s a good thing. Liam has a lot on his plate. You need the best people you can around them. We felt like Eric was the type of guy, the type of fit that can help us.”
Coen first came to UK in 2021 as an assistant with the Los Angeles Rams. After helping UK to its second 10-win season since 1977, Coen returned to the NFL as the Rams offensive coordinator. That decision did not go according to plan for either party as the Rams struggled mightily in their defense of a Super Bowl title and Kentucky’s offense floundered under the leadership of Rich Scangarello, who Stoops had hired from the NFL to replace Coen.
Stoops fired Scangarello after just one season as offensive coordinator and convinced Coen to return to Lexington.
After accepting UK’s offensive coordinator job for the second time, Coen told reporters he hoped to “plant some roots” by staying in a job for “a few years at least.” While Coen did not rule out one day returning to the NFL, he said the chance to work with younger players still early in their careers made a college job attractive to him.
Kentucky’s offense failed to live up to preseason expectations in 2023. This time, UK’s transfer quarterback (former N.C. State star Devin Leary) appeared to struggled running Coen’s pro-style scheme at times and the Wildcats’ sophomore wide receivers failed to make the jump forward projected by many. Despite those struggles, Coen and Kentucky found success in the December transfer portal market, landing former five-star quarterback and Georgia backup Brock Vandagriff along with three other projected offensive starters.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday, many of UK’s newest transfers pointed to Coen’s offense as being key in their decisions to sign with the Wildcats.
Kentucky is just more than a month away from the start of spring practice, but the wait to see if those transfers will actually play for Coen goes on.
This story was originally published January 31, 2024 at 9:50 PM.