Mark Stoops 'could not be more thrilled' to have Bush Hamdan at Kentucky

Kentucky‘s offensive unit will look a bit different in 2024 with the hire of new OC Bush Hamdan and the addition of some key transfer portal latent.

Head coach Mark Stoops had the task of filling the hole left by Liam Coen this offseason, and feels as though he’s found his guy. Kentucky has long needed stability in its offensive coordinator job, and after completing nearly an entire offseason together, Stoops explained what he believes Hamdan brings to the table in Lexington.

“On the offensive side of the ball, I could not be more thrilled to have Bush Hamdan come to us from Boise [State],” Stoops said during Kentucky’s annual fall luncheon. “He’s a guy that I spoke in-depth with years ago, and I’ve always had my tabs on Bush, what he’s doing offensively, how creative he is, and the type of person he is.”

Heading into his tenure at Kentucky, Hamdan already has some SEC coaching experience under his belt, previously serving as Missouri‘s quarterbacks coach from 2020 through 2022. Before that, he was the wide receivers coach at Florida in 2012.

After leaving Missouri, he spent one season with Boise State. His lone season coaching at his alma mater saw him coach running back Ashton Jeanty to become the Mountain West’s leading rusher with 1,351 yards. He doubled that up by being the conference’s all purpose yardage leader totaling 1,920 yards in 2023.

Kentucky has had a strong list of playmaking running backs since Mark Stoops took the job 12 seasons ago. Signing Chip Trayanum from Ohio State this past offseason, Hamdan will be tasked with pushing the former Buckeye to similar heights in 2024.

On thing that Hamdan didn’t have at Boise State was a former five-star quarterback. That’s exactly what he has in Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff. Add standout wide receivers Dane Key and Barion Brown and what is expected to be much sturdier Big Blue Wall under former Alabama offensive line coach Eric Wolford in his second stint with the program.

Overall, the offense is expected to be improved under Hamdan’s guide in 2024.

The Wildcats’ new-look offense will debut on Aug. 31 against Southern Miss for the season opener. SEC play begins early for the Wildcats as well, hosting South Carolina for a Week 2 clash. He’ll have to pull out all of his tricks for a Week 3 matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs as well.