14-year relationship between Steve Saunders and Liam Coen led star QB to Kentucky: "I trust him."

Steve Saunders remembers meeting with Liam Coen during the pre-draft process in 2009. The UMass Athletics Hall of Fame quarterback was the career record-holder for passing yards (11,031), pass attempts (1,303), pass completions (830), touchdown passes (90), completion percentage (.639), passer efficiency (152.92) and yards per pass attempt (8.47). Just the 21st quarterback in FCS history to throw for 10K yards, he finished his playing career ranked No. 12 all-time in passing yards and No. 14 in total touchdowns.

Standing 6-2, 225 pounds, Coen was widely regarded as the greatest quarterback to ever play for the Minutemen.

Talented as can be, but his body? Well, that was a work in progress. And to maximize his chances of hearing his name called in the 2009 NFL Draft, his agent Joe Linta called strength and conditioning specialist Saunders ahead of his Pro Day to help whip him into shape.

Coen’s relationship with Saunders

“Liam, let’s just say coming out of college, he didn’t have the best physique in the world — although he was a great quarterback,” Saunders told KSR on 630 AM’s Sunday Morning Sports Talk. “Liam likes to state even to this day that he was in the best shape of his life training with me. There are still probably piles of vomit all over Lancaster County because of Liam you can go back and circle at this point.”

That’s when the two got close, staying in touch as their respective coaching careers took off. Coen became the quarterbacks coach at Brown and Rhode Island, then became the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UMass. After serving as the offensive coordinator at Maine, he then accepted a position in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams as their assistant wide receivers coach, then assistant quarterbacks coach.

As for Saunders, he founded Power Train Sports and Fitness, working with hundreds of professional athletes from leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL dating back to 1999. The Baltimore Ravens then hired him as Director of Performance & Recovery in 2016 before taking over as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach from 2018-22.

“He got in the college ranks, then we really reconnected when he was with the Rams and I was with the Ravens,” Saunders said. “Look, Liam is just a great guy. He’s a smart guy and he works hard. He is going to be really successful at anything he chooses to do, and I love how he teaches the system he’s bringing to Kentucky. He’s bringing (Sean) McVay’s system to the college level, and it’s really exciting.”

Recruiting his son to Kentucky

That relationship wound up paying off as Saunders’ son conveniently developed into a blue-chip quarterback with over two dozen offers, highlighted by the likes of Georgia, Iowa, Miami (FL), Michigan, Nebraska, Texas A&M, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Oh, and Kentucky.

“I tried not to let this whole process happen too quickly — Stone still has two years left,” Saunders said. “But Stone being able to play in that now, it’s really exciting.”

Stone Saunders is rated as the No. 337 overall prospect and No. 25 quarterback in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. When Coen returned to Kentucky this past winter, the offensive guru made it clear that the 6-foot-2 gunslinger was priority No. 1 in the rising junior class.

Roles reversed. The eldest Saunders once put Coen through the wringer as a client, and now, Coen is tasked with guiding his son to new heights as a college quarterback and a pro prospect.

It’s admittedly a full-circle moment for Dad.

“I had to lean him out very quickly. If memory serves, I told Liam, ‘You’re like one of those fat guys here for Combine training. You’re not going to see a carb for three weeks.’ He was basically only allowed to eat meat and greens, then he was training two or three times a day,” Saunders said of training Coen back in 2009. “But Liam was the same guy, happy-go-lucky, beating him up in the weight room and working him really hard.

“That same demeanor you’ve gotten to know on some level, that’s him. He’s just a real, genuinely good guy. It’s so exciting to see him back at Kentucky and what they’re going to do this year.”

Checking the boxes in Lexington

There were two stipulations for Steve Saunders when guiding his son through his recruitment. First, he wanted Stone to work with a teacher of the game.

“Stone loves football, loves everything about it. He loves the film study part of it, the playing part of it, so I wanted him to be with a great teacher who can really continue to develop him.”

Stipulation two? Ensure his son was No. 1.

“I wanted him to be someone’s No. 1 pick, not No. 2, 3, 4 or 5 — you know how recruiting goes,” he said. “Kentucky with Coach (Mark) Stoops, with Liam, it really fit those requirements. They went above and beyond, especially knowing Liam like I do. We’re really excited about it. … It was a very special night for all of us. We’re just on cloud nine right now, breathing a sigh of relief.”

The meeting that won the Saunders family over

That night was Friday, announcing his commitment to the University of Kentucky on live television over fellow finalists Georgia, Miami, Michigan and Nebraska. The standout quarterback privately committed to the Wildcats back in June, but decided to go public on August 4.

When going through the process, Steve and Stone Saunders kept going back to a meeting with Coen upon his return to Lexington this past winter. Kentucky’s offensive coordinator went through a film session with Stone while Dad watched. “This is the offense I see you being successful in,” Steve recalls Coen telling his son. “This is it.”

Steve has been around countless NFL players throughout his career, sat in on all of the quarterback meetings you could imagine. And he got another run of them with his son during the recruiting process, other coaches pitching their offenses to Stone.

None compared to that of Coen and wide receivers coach Scott Woodward in Lexington.

“Going around on these visits, sitting in on these QB meetings, you can really tell who teaches or who just speaks to the kids in the meetings,” Saunders said. “Liam is a really good teacher.”

“I trust him with my son.”

Their relationship began 14 years back, Coen a doughy quarterback leaning on Saunders to help turn his professional dreams into a reality. After seeing the way he operates as a coordinator, the same trust he had in the strength coach at the time is being returned with his son as Stone looks to do the same.

Steve would be lying if he said that didn’t impact his decision and how quickly things unfolded in the Wildcats’ favor.

“I trust him. I’m a dad at the end of the day, and I trust him with my son,” Saunders said of Coen. “I trust Coach Stoops. This is a crazy business and as a parent, all you can do is try to put your kid in a good situation. Then they’ve got to put in the work and do what needs to get done. You hope they’re around good coaches and good people. Whatever impact I’ve had with Stone and him going to Kentucky, I feel like I’ve helped put him and he chose a great situation there. We’re thrilled about it.”

Saunders’ expectations as a Wildcat

Stone Saunders has thrown for nearly 7,000 yards with over 100 touchdowns through two seasons of high school football, just ten interceptions. Two 4A state title game appearances, one win this past season. He’s on pace to rewrite Pennsylvania’s entire record book. It’s easy to see what Coen saw in the blue-chip quarterback early and why he pushed for a commitment two years before he’s set to arrive on campus.

But what was that message specifically? What does Coen see in Saunders as Kentucky’s future under center?

“Liam wants an intelligent passer who can be a leader back there running the offense,” the Wildcat pledge’s father said. “It’s somebody who can read defenses and choose the right receiver, who knows when to change out of a play into a different play. Someone who can manage the game, but knows the game enough to make changes when you have to.

“Liam has done a great job — you hate to use the word ‘simplify’ the system, McVay’s system (with the Rams), but college is different. Guys don’t have a headset, you’ve got to signal things in. It’s a little different there. He’s taken everything he knows and made it for Kentucky and his surroundings there. I can’t wait to see it this year. The proof is in the pudding, he did it two years ago with (Will) Levis and I expect them to be lights out again this year.”

Part of the change

There are new offensive heights to hit in Lexington with Coen in the fold. The Saunders family wants to not only be along for the ride, but a key factor in the growth.

“Stone is excited to be a part of that, he wants to help them improve,” Steve said. “He wants Kentucky to be the SEC school, to beat the Tennessees and Alabamas of the world. Stone has that chip on his shoulder and we can’t wait to get there.”