Is Liam Coen an option for UK following Rich Scangarello departure?

Nov 29, 2022 - 6:27 PM

Rich Scangarello out.

Liam Coen in?

With the departure of Scangarello following a one-and-bum season in Lexington, the Kentucky Wildcats are now in desperate need of a new offensive coordinator, being that the transfer portal is now open and the early signing period is just over three weeks away.

In a perfect world, UK will find a way to bring back Liam Coen, who spent one season with the program in 2021 and produced arguably the best offense Kentucky has ever had under Mark Stoops. That led to Coen being hired away by the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams as their offensive coordinator, an offer he simply could not refuse.

However, the Rams have turned into a shell of that title-winning team, as they’re currently 3-8, have lost seven of eight, don’t have a first-round pick in 2023, and there’s been speculation head coach Sean McVay could retire in the coming years.

And Coen’s offense currently ranks 29th in total yards and 31st in points per game, per ESPN. But it must be mentioned that McVay is the primary play-caller, so Coen is enduring all of this while not even getting to call plays, something he’d do at UK.

Could this lead to UK making a serious push to get Coen back to Lexington? The stars are certainly aligning for a push to be made, and you have to wonder if there’s already been some discussion between both sides about it, which could be why Stoops fired Scangarello now.

While UK’s offense was a disaster for much of the 2022 season, it’s still a significant risk to fire Scangarello right now, especially with his connections to potential QB options in the transfer portal.

That is, unless you have a good idea of who replacement options could be, which I imagine is the case with Stoops. You don’t fire your OC right now unless you have a good idea of who some realistic candidates will be.

Look for Coen to be someone UK inquires about, but it remains to be seen if he will be a realistic option or merely a fantasy.