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By Tim Letcher, UK Athletics
Last week Bush Hamdan found himself in one of the toughest positions in his career. Hamdan was the offensive coordinator at Boise State, his alma mater, and was having great success with the Broncos’ offense. Boise State appeared to be ready to perhaps make a run at the expanded College Football Playoff in 2024.
However, when Kentucky and Mark Stoops came calling, it was something that Hamdan knew he had to consider. The decision would be gut-wrenching.
“Probably the most difficult of my career. You look at exactly what was done the last three or four months (at Boise State),” Hamdan said. “That place will always hold a special place in my heart.”
However, the allure of coaching at Kentucky and in the Southeastern Conference was enough to pull Hamdan away.
“I think for me, between Mark Stoops and Mitch Barnhart, their tenure here speaks to that commitment of Kentucky and what they’ve done here,” Hamdan said. “It’s the SEC, it’s the third time I’ve been here. I know what this conference is all about. Anybody in coaching wants to be the best and I think this conference certainly forces you to do that.
“I remember those days, being at Florida, being at Missouri, coming to Kroger Field, knowing what this place is all about. Knowing what the fan base is about. The mixture of those three things just made this a job I couldn’t pass on.”
Last season at Boise State, the Broncos were sixth in the nation in rushing offense (214.9 yards per game) and 26th in total offense (436.1 yards per game). Kentucky, last season, was 95th in the nation in rushing offense (127.8) and 98th in total offense (339.5).
When he was asked what his UK offense will look like, Hamdan admitted that he still has some learning to do about his players.
“I think it always starts with personnel,” Hamdan said. “What is week one? Week one is analyzing the roster. We know players win games. Get a good feel of what these guys can do and put them in the best position.”
There are some things that Hamdan knows he wants his offense to do, and one of those is to play quickly.
“I think the second thing is, vary in some tempo,” Hamdan said. “That’s been something over the course of the years. We know there’s certain games where we have to play fast, we know there’s certain games where we have to play slower, control the clock.
“But it’s a pro-style foundation. But there’s such an emphasis on creating explosive plays and we’ve got to do that with creativity, we’ve got to do that with variance in formation and personnel and that is the focus.”
Some offensive coordinators want to be on the field, while others prefer to be in the booth. For Hamdan, his choice is to be upstairs.
“I really enjoy coffee, so I like being upstairs,” Hamdan said with a laugh. “My whole career, I’ve been upstairs and that’s definitely the preference. I know there’s times, certainly with the quarterbacks, that they would want you down on the field and that communication. But being up top, you can see the game in a comfortable environment and that’s definitely what I prefer.”
Hamdan also knows that recruiting is essential to today’s college football environment.
“It’s critical,” Hamdan said. “If you’re going to be in college, there’s the job of recruiting and there’s the job of development. It’s something I look forward to.”
5 Responses
I have read a couple of articles on his plans for UK and I like what I hear. He said he wanted to simplify the pro style offense and that makes sense to me. I also like the fact that he wants to go faster. He wants the qb to use his legs and get at least 2 first downs per game. You have to have a mobile qb unless you have a line that can hold forever and/or receivers that no one can cover.
I like what I hear, but as always, I’ll wait until I see it on the field.
I think this a grand slam hire. I love his concepts I think he is a upgrade from Liam Coen. In my opinion you have to have a Georgia type roster to run Coens offense. You have to have a superior offensive line to do a drop back offense. With the line Kentucky has had like I always say you have to abandon your philosophy and change it with what works sometimes. Something Calapari must do If he wants to win as well. I think Hamdan is perfect for Kentucky he will mix it up and do several different things. The defense will never know what’s coming. He runs trick plays that his teams usually execute to perfection because he simplifies the offense for college kids to understand. He fits perfectly with our roster. We aren’t as talented as the Georgia’s and Alabamas in the SEC but we have the personal to upset some teams if we adapt our game plan every week to who we are playing. I guarantee you will see a night and day difference and much better fluidity for this team. If Liam was calling the plays this year we would go 7-5 but with Bush calling the plays I’m gonna say we go 9-3ish maybe 10-2 if will call some more havoc plays on defense and stoops isn’t as conservative and allows all the shorts passes the offense want. Remember me saying this I say 9-3 if things go normal 10-2 or better if we gel all season. Let football season begin…..
So do I Terry
I think the Bushman is a quality hire. Anyone that comes out and says we will be in "attack" mode will get my vote. That is a name that has never been in Califraudi vocabulary.
I like the hire too Mike