Offensive coordinator Liam Coen missed the football culture at Kentucky. (UK Athletics Photo)
Returning Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen admits going back to the NFL for a year as offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Ram after spending the 2021 season as UK’s coordinator did change him.
Coen said he learned how to handle adversity because of personnel issues the Rams had due to injuries.
“You scheme up all these great plays, but, at the end of the day, it truly is about the players and having to pivot and adjust to the type of players that we were playing with throughout the season,” Coen said. “They weren’t our starters. They didn’t know all of our offensive scheme from A to Z, so we needed to pivot at times.”
Coen said he learned to enjoy and trust the process to prepare a “clean” game plan each week despite injuries.
“These guys came to practice and meetings every single day with the right enthusiasm, right mindset, because the culture is strong, because everything we tried to do on a week-to-week basis was about leading, confidence (and) how can we give these guys our best effort as coaches each week?” Coen said.
“The results weren’t always clean or what we wanted, but I think, when you go through some of these things, it gives you the perspective that it’s truly always about the players. When you have great ones, usually good things happen. When you have injuries, typically great things don’t happen.”
Coen was part of a 10-3 season with UK in 2021 when the offense featured quarterback Will Levis, running back Chris Rodriguez, receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and center Luke Fortner, a starter in the NFL this season. None of those players will be on the 2023 offense for Coen but he still quickly accepted a chance to return to Lexington.
“Being a part of the Kentucky culture again, coming back to a place that I truly, really didn’t want to leave. We truly did not want to leave Lexington. The opportunity to come back and coach for coach Stoops and be around these players and have an impact on young people’s lives (is why he came back),” Coen said.
Coen signed a three-year contract worth $5.4 million and plans to stay in Lexington because he obviously missed the college atmosphere.
“I just want to go somewhere, make a real impact and plant some roots for a little bit. Be somewhere for a few years — at least — that you feel really good about,” he said. “I’m excited about being back in Lexington. There’s a lot about the SEC and college football that I missed, and I’m not in a rush to go anywhere.”
Coen liked walking around Lexington the year he was at UK and interacting with fans.
“Now, I know we won, but I only heard people say, ‘Coach, man, good luck this year. Hope you’re doing well.’ That’s cool. That’s fun to be a part of,” Coen said. “I want to try to make an impact and be around somewhere for a little while.”
