Cincinnati Bengals' Zac Taylor "thinks the world" of Liam Coen, Brad White

by:Nick Roush•02/07/22•

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Zac Taylor and Sean McVay, the two head coaches in Super Bowl LVI, are big fans of the Kentucky football team. Let’s not gloss over that fact so quickly. Allow me to repeat: the two coaches that led their team to the highest mountaintop this sport has to offer love what they are seeing from the Kentucky football program, specially from the coordinators in Lexington.

UConn Football Leads Coen to Taylor

Taylor, the Cincinnati Bengals’ ~~messiah~~ head coach, has a lengthy relationship with Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Before the two helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl in 2018, Taylor kept a close eye on the young coach.

“I think the world of Liam. I think he’s a tremendous football coach. Kentucky’s really lucky to have him,” Taylor said during “Opening Night,” the NFL’s new branding for Super Bowl media day.

“I came across Liam, I didn’t know him, but when I was at the University of Cincinnati we were playing Connecticut. I was watching some tape and I believe they were playing Maine and I remember thinking, ‘Maine’s offense is really good. Who runs the show?’ I looked it up and Liam Coen’s the offensive coordinator. I followed his career ever since.”

Ahead of the 2018 season in L.A., Taylor was promoted from wide receivers to quarterbacks coach. Looking to fill a position, Coen was one of the first names mentioned.

“Another coach on our staff recommended Liam Coen and I said, ‘I’ve never met this guy but I know that his film proves that he belongs in this league.’ We interviewed him, he knocked it out of the park, we hired him, he was a great addition to that staff,” said Taylor.

“I know that he and Sean got really close as well. Kentucky’s lucky to have him. He’s done a great job. He’s going to be a head coach in one of these leagues soon enough, college or pro. That’s how much I think of his football IQ, his work ethic and his relationship with the players. I really think the world of Liam. No surprise, I watched every game they played this year whenever I could, just to see the cool things he was doing.”

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Taylor has a Brad White Connection

After one year of Coen in Lexington, the BBN is well aware of the UK offensive coordinator’s connections to the Rams. You probably did not know that Taylor is also close with Kentucky’s defensive coordinator. Brad White and the Bengals’ head coach were college teammates.

“On the other side of that, Brad White, the defensive coordinator, was my host on my recruiting trip when I signed with Wake Forest. Brad got me to Wake Forest, we played on the same team there for two years. It’s awesome to see him succeed as well.”

Taylor was a backup quarterback for the Demon Deacons for two seasons before he transferred to Nebraska to complete his career. Now he’s on the verge of winning the biggest game in football, while his old colleagues earn more than $1 million annually by taking the Kentucky football program to new heights.

“Two of Rhode Island’s finest, Brad White and Liam Coen, leading the charge over there at UK,” Taylor grinned.