Tuesday Headlines: OC Search Winding Down Edition

Liam Coen is reportedly Kentucky’s “first choice.”

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Dec 6, 2022, 6:40am EST

It appears the Kentucky Wildcats may be close to naming their next offensive coordinator. Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones reported on Monday that former OC Liam Coen is the team’s “first choice” and the new hire could be announced as early as this week.

Coen is the current offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams after spending one season at Kentucky in 2021 coaching the same position. The fanbase quickly fell in love with Coen and head coach Mark Stoops appears to still think quite a lot of him.

Kentucky ranked 47th in total offense with Coen in 2021 and fell to a tie for 106th this season without him in the fold.

Other than Coen and a few pieces across the offensive line, there wasn’t much that really changed. Of course star wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was drafted to the NFL, but the Wildcats were more than capable at WR with Barion Brown, Dane Key and Tayvion Robinson.

Bringing Coen back may not fix every issue Kentucky had this season, but at least it’s a step in the right direction. However, it may be easier said than done.

The NFL season still has five more weeks and with Coen as LA’s OC, it’s unlikely he’ll be leaving before the end of the regular season. The Rams are all but out of the playoff race, so it’s possible he could join the Wildcats earlier than expected — but nothing is certain.

Kentucky also needs to be active in the transfer portal. The Wildcats are losing quite a bit of depth to the portal themselves and need to not only replace that depth but recruit game-ready veterans to step in at positions such as quarterback, running back and offensive tackle. Having Coen committed to the Wildcats for next season would be a strong asset in recruiting these key pieces.

Coen is reportedly Kentucky’s first choice, so it’s likely just a matter of Coen wanting to return to college football or not. Either way, we’ll soon find out.