Bush Hamdan believes he has one of the best jobs in football

Mark Stoops’ success at Kentucky spawned offseason conversations about the best college football jobs in America. In 2020 Steven Godfrey was one of many who said the combination of salary and expectations made Kentucky the best job for any coach in the country. Stoops’ newest hire, Bush Hamdan, believes he’s going to one of the best places to coach football.

A day after he was introduced to the media during a 30-minute press conference, new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan joined Matt Jones on Kentucky Sports Radio. Hamdan is the fifth new offensive play-caller in as many years. In a round-about way, Jones asked the new OC if he plans on sticking around for a little bit.

“I think more than ever in college football, we gotta take one day at a time,” Hamdan said.

It was around this time a year ago that Liam Coen said he was excited to ‘plant roots’ in Lexington. It’s probably wise for Hamdan to avoid making any significant assurances.

Even though he did not make any guarantees, he shared how excited he is to be in such a prestigious position at the University of Kentucky.

“This kind of job for me, being a coordinator in the SEC, doesn’t come often and I understand that. There’s not many better jobs in football than this one. And so that’s my statement on it,” he said.

“I’m committed to being here. I can’t tell you how excited my family is to be here. And again, I’m working for the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC. I’m working for an athletic director that’s been here 20-plus years. That speaks to their commitment and it speaks to the type of place that Lexington is and that Kentucky fanbase.”

Listen to the entire conversation in hour No. 2 of Kentucky Sports Radio

Hamdan learned resilience at a young age

Hamdan’s background is unlike any other offensive coordinator in college football. He was born in Kuwait City. As he shared today, he was on one of the last flights out of the country as Iraq invaded during the first Gulf War. Even though he did not remember much as a 6-year-old, his family’s experience shaped him into the person he is today.

“I was raised in a way by my parents who said, ‘Everybody’s got a story. This is just part of your story.’ But certainly (I learned) resiliency.”

He continued, “I’ve been working towards this goal of being here in Kentucky probably since I was 22, and I don’t think my Dad had us totally settled in this country till he was in his 40s. I’m just super blessed in what both my parents provided me there. But it’s just another notch on there — When things get hard, how hard really are they? What my parents went through is really what I hang my hat on.”

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