The 2022 Kentucky football team did not experience nearly as much success as most anticipated, tallying just a 7-6 record and finishing 4th in the SEC East.

Perhaps the biggest contributor to UK’s disappointing season was just how underwhelming the offense was. After Liam Coen left Kentucky in 2022 for the Los Angeles Rams Assistant Coach job, Rich Scangarello stepped in, and things just didn’t work.

Now, with Liam Coen back, the Wildcats have the potential to make a lot of noise this season. There are even some people who think the re-hiring of Coen means that UK landed one of the best offensive coordinators in the nation.

Former NFL QB turned ESPN commentator Greg McElroy has Liam Coen amongst his top five offensive coordinators in college football. Others in his top 5 list include Ryan Grubb (Washington), Jeff Grimes (Baylor), Garrett Riley (Clemson), and Phil Longo (Wisconsin).

Just for comparison, let’s take a look at the company that Coen is in.

Ryan Grubb (Washington)

Ryan Grubb began his college coaching career at South Dakota State, where he was hired to be the running backs Coach. However, he would switch roles and become the Wide Receivers Coach later on. His first offensive coordinator job would be at Sioux Falls, and he was there from 2010-2013. In the four seasons Grubb was at Sioux Falls, the Storm went 11-3, 13-1, 14-0, and 10-4.

From 2019-2021, Grubb served as the offensive coordinator at Fresno State. His first two seasons were not very successful, as the Bulldogs went 4-8 and 3-3 in 2019 and 2020. However, in 2021, Fresno State went 10-3, even winning the New Mexico Bowl vs UTEP 31-24.

Grubb spent the 2022 season as the offensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies. Last season, Washington finished with an 11-2 record. They would beat Texas 27-20 in the Alamo Bowl and finish top ten in the AP poll and Coaches poll.

Jeff Grimes (Baylor)

Jeff Grimes began his college coaching career at Rice University in 1995. Through the years, Grimes would coach at various schools across the country.

Notably, Grimes was the Offensive Line Coach at Auburn when they won the 2010 BCS National Championship. He also coached at Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, and LSU among others.

His first offensive coordinator job would span from 2018 to 2020 at BYU. In the first two seasons of the Grimes tenure, the Cougars would finish 7-6. However, in 2020, BYU went 11-1. In the Boca Raton Bowl, BYU would beat UCF handily 49-23.

Garrett Riley (Clemson)

If you are familiar with Lincoln Riley and how prolific he has been, the same can be said for his younger brother, Garrett. In 2013, Garrett Riley served as a graduate assistant for East Carolina, and just two years later, he would be promoted to Outside Wide Receivers Coach.

Following his campaign in Greenville, NC, Riley would venture to Kansas and Appalachian State, coaching various position groups. His first offensive coordinator job would be at SMU in 2020, where he would spend two seasons. The Mustangs would go 7-3 and 8-4.

Last season, Riley was the offensive coordinator at TCU. In case you don’t recall, TCU finished 13-2, ranked as the No. 2 team in the nation. The Horned Frogs would advance to the CFP National Championship where they would ultimately fall to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Phil Longo (Wisconsin)

Phil Longo’s career path is much different than others on McElroy’s top five list. Longo’s first offensive coordinator job came in 2000 at William Paterson University in New Jersey. Longo would hold an offensive coordinator position at various schools up until 2017.

In 2017, Ole Miss would be the first Power 5 team to name Longo as their offensive coordinator. Longo’s two-year run at Ole Miss was rather mediocre, as the Rebels would go 6-6 in 2017 and 5-7 in 2018.

In 2019, Longo would take over as the OC at North Carolina, where he has been since. In 2019 and 2020, the Tarheels would finish with positive records of 7-6 and 8-4. In 2021, however, UNC would go 6-7. Then, last season, North Carolina went 9-5. They would finish 1st in the ACC Coastal Division.

Clearly, the company that Liam Coen is in is quite impressive. The resumes of those alongside Coen in McElroy’s list jump off the page, but there is no reason that Liam Coen can’t be just as good or better than some of the other coaches listed. Perhaps 2023 will be the year that Liam Coen proves that he is truly one of the best playcallers in college football.