Former Kentucky Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen plans to become the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, as reported by ESPN’s Jenna Laine on Thursday.
Coen served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Kentucky during the 2021 and 2023 seasons, working with eventual NFL draftees Will Levis and Devin Leary.
Before turning to coaching, Coen, who is originally from Warwick, Rhode Island, started at quarterback for UMass from 2005-08 and still holds several major school passing records, including completion percentage, yards and touchdowns.
He has served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Brown, Rhode Island and Maine, the latter of which was as the offensive coordinator.
Prior to his first stint in Lexington, he spent three years with the Los Angeles Rams, two as an assistant wide receivers coach and one as an assistant quarterbacks coach.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops hired Coen for the 2021 season, seeking a change immediately following a losing season. The Wildcats finished that year with 10 wins and a Citrus Bowl victory (later vacated), and Coen’s offense ranked fifth in the SEC in points per game.
Following the successful campaign, Coen returned to the Rams to become their offensive coordinator, a position left vacant after Kevin O’Connell accepted the head coaching position for the Minnesota Vikings following Los Angeles’s Super Bowl victory.
After the Rams struggled in 2022 and finished with their first losing season since Sean McVay took over as head coach, Coen returned to Kentucky for the 2023 season.
His offense finished eighth in the SEC in scoring, and Leary ranked second in the conference in passing touchdowns and ninth in passing yards.
Coen jumped back up to the NFL for the 2024 season as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his work with quarterback Baker Mayfield helped lead the team to a division title.
He gained praise nationwide for helping bring Mayfield and the Buccaneers back into the spotlight, making him one of the top names to watch to take a head coaching job in the offseason.
It was initially reported that he would remain in Tampa Bay with a contract that would make him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league, but Jacksonville made an extra pursuit for him after firing general manager Trent Baalke on Wednesday.
He eventually agreed to a five-year deal to become their new coach, making him the fourth-youngest head coach in the NFL.
“Becoming the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars is an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that I am going to run with to instill a championship culture and winning tradition here in Duval,” he told Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager in a statement.
Coen will seek to help the Jaguars bounce back after posting a 4-13 record in 2024.