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Liam Coen Named Top Five Offensive Coordinator in College Football by ESPN

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1 year ago

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Kentucky Wildcats offensive coordinator on the sidelines at Kroger Field.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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3 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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5 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

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1 week ago

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November 11, 2024

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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