Why fixing Kentucky's offensive line is the 'top priority' for new Wildcats coordinator Liam Coen

Last offseason, Kentucky talked a big game, looking to level up in the SEC after another 10-win season. The Wildcats dismissed the ‘Why not us?’ narrative from seasons past, openly embracing an “Atlanta or bust” mentality. 

They were chalked with confidence, especially after beating Florida in The Swamp early in the 2022 season. But then Mark Stoops’ team discovered that climbing the SEC ladder can’t be willed into existence with bravado alone. 

The key ingredients that made Kentucky a tough out in recent years — its ‘Big Blue Wall’ offensive line, a gnarly rushing attack and creative coaching — were hardly present for much of the 2022 season.

If you can’t block people, it’s hard to win a bunch of games. The Wildcats’ offense became one of the most disappointing units in the country despite a potential Top-10 pick at quarterback in Will Levis. 

The offensive line was terrible, as Levis was sacked into submission (47 sacks allowed, second-most among all Power 5 teams nationally) and the ‘Cats ground game averaged an SEC-worst 3.26 yards per carry with just nine rushing scores (fewest in the league). 

Kentucky finished the season 7-6, getting blanked 21-0 by Iowa in the bowl game. 

After the season, many Wildcats fans were left wondering, “If not now? Then when?”

Well, depending on development of Kentucky’s offense over the next six months, the answer just might be as soon as this fall. 

Mark Stoops wasted little time addressing Kentucky’s issues this offseason, landing perhaps the best new coordinator (Liam Coen), transfer quarterback (Devin Leary) and transfer tailback (Ray Davis) triumvirate in the country. 

As Kentucky’s OC in 2021, Liam Coen turned Will Levis, then a transfer from Penn State, into an NFL. The Cats averaged 6.4 yards per play under Coen — the best mark in all 10 seasons with Mark Stoops as head coach.

But Coen’s stint in the Bluegrass State was short-lived, going back to the Rams to serve as Sean McVay’s coordinator.

The move didn’t work out for either party. Coen’s return to LA was a failed experiment. The Rams battled injuries all season and their offense imploded. Meanwhile, the ‘Cats saw Levis regress under Rich Scangarello, with UK finishing the season 112th nationally in scoring and 100th in success rate.

Stoops’ solution? Go back to what worked so well just 12 months prior. He quickly fired Scangarello and coaxed Coen back to Lexington. Then he grabbed Levis’ replacement with the most intriguing quarterback in the transfer portal and added a 1,000-yard rusher in the SEC, too. 

The moves alone won’t suddenly make Kentucky’s offense formidable again. But it’s a start. 

“I think the familiarity definitely helps us,” Stoops said on Coen’s return to the staff. 

The pieces are in place for Kentucky to make significant improvement offensively this fall, if …

This spring, it’s about meshing all the fresh faces, including transfer offensive tackle Marques Cox from Northern Illinois (33 career starts) and former 4-star guard Tanner Bowles from Alabama, with a promising set of playmakers in Dane Key, Barion Brown and Tayvion Robinson.  

The pieces are in place for potential dramatic improvement this fall, but Liam Coen is keenly aware he must be flexible in how he implements his offense a second go-round — especially with a new quarterback who’s rarely played under center before and an OL in transition.

“We’re not going to be the same offense that we were in 2021. We can’t be right?,” Liam Coen said recently. 

“We have different personnel now. So just being able to pivot a little bit and really evaluate the current roster and personnel a little bit more frequently to be able to get the most out of these players. … Because maybe what we’re doing doesn’t fit the skill set of the guys that have to play or are playing.”

Case in point: Devin Leary, who hails from an RPO-heavy attack at NC State and is now learning how to operate in a pro-style system predicated on play-action shots from under-center. 

The best news for Kentucky is Leary is healthy enough to even participate in spring practice after rehabbing from a torn pectoral muscle that forced him to miss the last seven games of the 2022 season. 

Leary doesn’t have Levis’ size, cannon or mobility, but when healthy, he’s proven to be a very efficient and effective quarterback. He had 35 touchdowns to just five picks in 2021, averaging close to 290 passing yards per game. 

He can spin it, but that was in a read-and-react scheme. While Coen will still implement some RPOs in Kentucky’s offense, his pro-style system will “change the picture” for Leary, who has an offseason to learn how to operate the offense. 

A couple practices into spring, Coen seems satisfied with the initial returns from the veteran quarterback. 

“To take the snap and execute a handoff is new (to him). It sounds pretty elementary to us. But when you don’t do it and you’re not used to operating that way, it is difficult,” Coen said. “So that’s been nice. He hasn’t had many exchange issues. He’s done a nice job with his footwork.”

Still, while Leary was a headliner addition, and Brown and Key are back after being two of the more dynamic freshman receivers in the conference in 2022, the ‘Cats offensive line must be the engine of the attack again if they have any ideas about making a significant leap in 2023. 

Stoops’ Big Blue-Collar culture has been built around mauling offensive lines, but last year’s unit was plagued by inexperience and a lack of chemistry and cohesion.

They couldn’t move people, and they definitely couldn’t stop opponents from getting in the backfield (nearly eight tackles for loss allowed per game). Coen called it his “top priority” to address the problem this spring, and he’s already made changes by moving guys to different spots and inserting a couple of transfers into the mix. 

The ‘Cats return four of five starters from last year’s unit, but Coen’s initial tweaks are already taking shape. He’s slotted 2022 center Eli Cox back to guard, where he had his most success under Coen in 2021. Same for Kenneth Horsey, who struggled at left tackle last fall after being a solid SEC guard in 2021. Northern Illinois transfer Marques Cox has taken over at left tackle.

”What we’re we’re trying to work on up front is getting back to that connection and truly playing as one unit,” Coen said. 

“That comes with reps. … The offensive line, if you think about it, that’s more than one-third of your unit on a play-to-play basis. And if those five aren’t on the same page, don’t have the right mentality, or aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do, it’s really hard to have success as an offense no matter who’s around them.”

Kentucky experienced that first-hand a year ago. If Liam Coen can figure out a way to patchwork a former strength, then the rest of the pieces are in place for Kentucky to make a major rebound offensively this fall.