Jemal Singleton leaving UK for Eagles

After joining the Kentucky Wildcats this offseason, Jemal Singleton is heading back to the NFL.

According to KSR’s Matt Jones, Singleton is joining the Philadelphia Eagles as their running backs coach and assistant head coach. He was hired to be Kentucky’s running backs coach and special teams coordinator, so that’s a big vacancy Mark Stoops has to fill for the second time this offseason.

Singleton, who’s been coaching since 2000, was hired by Kentucky in January after spending the last five years in the NFL, most recently with the Cincinnati Bengals. He also spent time with the Oakland Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts. Singleton was last a special teams coordinator at Arkansas in 2015, the only time he’s held that title in his career.

Prior to his time in Cincinnati, Singleton spent the 2018 season as running backs coach for the Oakland Raiders. From 2016-17, he was the running backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts.

This is the third time since 2019 that Kentucky has lost a coordinator and the second one to the NFL. Following the 2018 season, defensive coordinator Matt House left to become the Kansas City Chiefs’ linebackers coach.

Following the 2019 season, Kentucky lost special teams coordinator Dean Hood, who became the head coach at Murray State. The Wildcats went on to have special teams struggles throughout the 2020 season, so this is easily the biggest area Stoops must address heading into the rest of the offseason.

Best of luck to Singleton as he heads back to the pros.