Who will Mark Stoops hire to replace Liam Coen? Here are five possible candidates.

With Liam Coen reportedly heading back to the NFL, Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops is faced with hiring an offensive coordinator for the fourth consecutive offseason.

After firing Eddie Gran following the 2020 season, Stoops looked to the NFL to pluck Coen from the Sean McVay coaching tree. That move paid off with a 10-win 2021 season, but Coen return to the NFL when McVay hired him as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator.

In replacing Coen the first time, Stoops prioritized staying in the same McVay/Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. He hired San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello to lead the offense, but that decision backfired with a disappointing 2022 season. Stoops fired Scangarello after just one year and convinced Coen, who had experienced his own struggles with the Rams, to return to Lexington.

Now, Coen is leaving after just one season again.

Will Stoops stay in the same coaching tree or has he soured on the prospect of hiring NFL assistants who will always have one eye pointed towards a return to professional football? How will the hire affect his ability to retain transfers Brock Vandagriff, Chip Tayanum and Ja’Mori Maclin as well as former LCA quarterback Cutter Boley? Can Stoops risk hiring a first-time play-caller in a season that appears as pivotal for the future of the program as this one does for Kentucky?

Here is a look at five candidates who might make sense for the job.

Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein played quarterback at Louisville but grew up a Kentucky fan because his father played for the Wildcats.

Will Stein (Oregon offensive coordinator)

A Louisville native and son of a former Kentucky defensive end, Stein led an Oregon offense that ranked second nationally in points (44.2) and yards (531.4) per game last season. While Stein played at U of L, he grew up a Kentucky fan. Despite the local ties, it seems like a long shot that Stein would leave Oregon, which is projected to be among the top contenders in the Big Ten next season, but Kentucky could give him a substantial raise. Oregon paid the 34-year-old coach $835,000 last season, almost $1 million less than UK paid Coen ($1.7 million). Add in the $500,000 buyout that Coen owes UK for leaving with two years left on his contract, and Kentucky could easily double Stein’s current salary. Oregon would surely do what it could to at least match any UK offer for one of five finalists for the Broyles Award though. According to the Oregonian, Stein’s Oregon contract includes an $800,000 buyout if he leaves before Nov. 30, 2024 for another college assistant job.

Joe Moorhead (Akron head coach)

The former Mississippi State head coach was reportedly a candidate for Kentucky’s offensive coordinator job in 2020 when Coen was hired the first time. He has since been named head coach at Akron. It has become more common in recent years for Group of Five head coaches to be hired as Power 5 conference coordinators, and after back-to-back 2-10 seasons at Akron that route might be Moorhead’s best chance for one day securing a Power Five head coaching job again. While his head coaching record is mixed, his last two stops as a coordinator at Penn State (2016-17) and Oregon (2020-21) were successes. Moorhead’s last season at Oregon offers a glimpse at the kind of offensive balance Stoops craves with 2,833 rushing yards and 3,098 passing yards. Moorhead was paid $620,000 as Akron’s head coach this season, according to USA Today, so he would be in line for a raise as UK’s offensive coordinator.

Tommy Rees (Cleveland Browns tight ends coach)

The coaching carousel takes no prisoners, as evidenced by Rees’ winter. A year ago, he was wooed from Notre Dame to Alabama to run Nick Saban’s offense. When Saban retired in January, Rees was mentioned as one of three leading candidates for the Crimson Tide head coaching position thanks to his strong work with Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in 2023. That job ultimately went to Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, who brought offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb with him to Tuscaloosa. The Athletic reported on Jan. 22 that the Cleveland Browns were hiring Rees as tight ends coach, but that move has yet to be confirmed by the team. If Rees values running his own offense over coaching in the NFL, perhaps Stoops could lure him to Lexington. Stoops recently hired offensive line coach Eric Wolford, who worked with Rees at Alabama in 2023.

Rob Calabrese (New York Jets quarterbacks coach)

Calabrese was reportedly one of Stoops’ top targets after Coen left UK the first time, but he ultimately decided to stay in New York. Calabrese comes from the same offensive coaching tree as Coen, so he could provide some continuity for returning players. Whether Stoops is willing to take a bet on another young NFL assistant coach — Calabrese is 33 — after losing Coen twice is unclear. It is also far from certain Calabrese’s interest in coaching in college has increased any since the last time he was approached by Kentucky. It is worth noting Calabrese is close with former UK offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, so Scangarello’s experience in Lexington — he was fired after one season — might influence how he views the job.

Tee Martin (Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach)

If Stoops wants to continue to prioritize NFL experience but is willing to step outside the McVay/Shanahan coaching tree, Martin would be a logical choice. The former Tennessee quarterback already has experience at Kentucky, serving as an assistant coach for Joker Phillips for two seasons and was once considered a rising star as a college coach before jumping to the NFL. Martin has previous college coordinator experience at Southern Cal. It is far from certain he would be interested in leaving the opportunity to coach Lamar Jackson for a college coordinator position, though.

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