Year after year, Kentucky football fans are told things will be different. A new offensive coordinator arrives with a new scheme, promising a more dynamic, explosive, and effective offense.
And year after year, with few exceptions, the results look strikingly familiar: Methodical, conservative, and ultimately, mediocre.
Is it a case of Mark Stoops simply being unlucky or hiring a string of bad coordinators? A deep dive into the offensive production during his 13-year tenure suggests the problem runs
deeper. It points to a systemic issue, a philosophical ceiling that no coordinator has been able to truly break through.
Let’s look at the numbers.
Neal Brown (2013-2014)
- 2013: 20.5 PPG | 193.4 Pass YPG | 147.9 Rush YPG | 4.1 Yds/Rush
- 2014: 29.2 PPG | 231.2 Pass YPG | 153.2 Rush YPG | 4.1 Yds/Rush
- Brown’s tenure showed promise and growth, particularly in his second year, laying a foundation for offensive competence. After leaving UK, he became a successful head coach at Troy and not so successful at West Virginia.
Shannon Dawson (2015)
- 2015: 24.7 PPG | 209.3 Pass YPG | 162.7 Rush YPG | 4.7 Yds/Rush
- A one-year stopgap, Dawson’s offense was statistically a step back from Brown’s final year. He later went on to be the OC for a Miami (FL) offense that produced a number 1 NFL draft pick at QB.
Eddie Gran (2016-2020)
- 2016: 30.2 PPG | 186.1 Pass YPG | 234.2 Rush YPG | 5.4 Yds/Rush
- 2017: 25.5 PPG | 188.2 Pass YPG | 161.7 Rush YPG | 4.3 Yds/Rush
- 2018: 26.6 PPG | 161.5 Pass YPG | 202.0 Rush YPG | 4.9 Yds/Rush
- 2019: 27.2 PPG | 113.7 Pass YPG | 279.1 Rush YPG | 6.4 Yds/Rush
- 2020: 21.8 PPG | 121.5 Pass YPG | 196.8 Rush YPG | 5.0 Yds/Rush
- Gran’s tenure was defined by a dominant rushing attack, especially in 2019 with Lynn Bowden Jr. at QB. However, the passing game was often an afterthought, becoming almost non-existent by the end of his run. It was clear his time had run its course, but Stoops brought him back as a special assistant, where he resides today.
Liam Coen combined (2021, 2023)
- 2021: 32.3 PPG | 225.6 Pass YPG | 199.8 Rush YPG | 5.3 Yds/Rush
- 2023: 29.1 PPG | 211.6 Pass YPG | 127.8 Rush YPG | 4.9 Yds/Rush
- Coen’s 2021 season stands as the clear offensive peak of the Stoops era. He brought a pro-style passing attack that unlocked Will Levis and produced the program’s best offense in decades. But it still wasn’t great. They struggled at times in the pass game with an NFL head coach, WR, and QB. His return in 2023 wasn’t quite as explosive but was still a massive improvement over the years without him. Coen is now a head coach in the NFL.
Rich Scangarello (2022)
- 2022: 20.4 PPG | 208.5 Pass YPG | 116.2 Rush YPG | 3.3 Yds/Rush
- A one-year disaster. Scangarello attempted to run a version of Coen’s offense without the same success, resulting in the lowest points-per-game average of Stoops’ career and an anemic rushing attack.
Bush Hamdan (2024-Present)
- 2024: 20.6 PPG | 184.8 Pass YPG | 145.6 Rush YPG | 3.9 Yds/Rush
- Hamdan’s first full season saw the offense pretty much equal the Scangarello offense, just with a better rushing output. But with struggles in the pass game and poor play-calling, it has already led to widespread fan frustration. And maybe even a little Mark Stoops frustration.
When you lay out the data, the conclusion is unavoidable. Nearly every offensive coordinator who has left Stoops’ program has gone on to have significant success elsewhere or prior to coming to Kentucky. Even Scangarello had a nice NFL career going before coming to Kentucky. The only coordinator to produce a consistently high-level offense at Kentucky, Liam Coen, was given an unprecedented level of control the first time. The common denominator in over a decade of mostly conservative, inconsistent, and underperforming offenses isn’t the revolving door of coordinators: It’s the head coach.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he spends time with his family, and watching Premier League soccer. Psalm 121:7-8. #UpTheAlbion
