Kentucky football offensive coordinator Liam Coen left the program to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday.
Coen is set to become the Bucs’ offensive coordinator after former OC Dave Canales left Tampa to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
The former Wildcat OC started his coaching career at the collegiate level, holding positions at Brown, Rhode Island, UMass and Maine before becoming assistant wide receivers coach with the Los Angeles Rams.
He was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach with the Rams before returning to college to become the offensive coordinator at Kentucky.
Coen spent one year in Lexington before returning to the NFL to become the Rams’ OC, but when that job didn’t go as well – and Kentucky was left with an opening after firing Rich Scangarello – he returned to the Wildcats.
The reunion would ultimately prove to be short lived, however, when Coen’s name would be linked to numerous positions open within the NFL.
While several, including the Chicago Bears, fell through, it would ultimately be the Bucs who would poach the Rhode Island native back away from Big Blue Nation.
With Coen’s departure Stoops will be looking to hire an OC for the seventh time in 11 years, with the position proving to be a thorn in the coach’s side.
Kentucky has yet to announce a replacement for Coen but will boast a rejuvenated offensive unit with new quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs at the disposal of the new OC.
