Kentucky Officially Announces Addition of OL Coach Eric Wolford

Late last week we learned about another Kentucky football homecoming. The shocking move is now official. Mark Stoops announced Eric Wolford is returning to Kentucky as the Wildcats’ offensive line coach.

“We are excited to bring Eric Wolford back to Kentucky,” Stoops said in a statement. “Eric had a big impact in the year he spent with us and has only gained more SEC experience after working with Coach Saban and Alabama the last two seasons.

“Eric and I go way back and I’m looking forward to having him return to our program.”

They do in fact go way back. One of the many assistants from Youngstown, Wolford attended Ursuline High School, a rival to Stoops and Marrow’s Cardinal Mooney. The rivalry returned when Wolford abruptly departed following the 2021 season to join Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama. All now appears to be water under the bridge.

“I am thrilled to be back at Kentucky and have the opportunity to work with Coach Stoops and Liam Coen again,” Wolford said. “Stoops and I have a long history and he’s one of the best coaches I’ve worked for during my career. Liam is one of the brightest minds in football, and I loved my experience with the Big Blue Wall. My family also loves this community and we are excited to get back here.”

The last time we saw Wolford on a Kentucky sideline, he was helping Alabama roll to a 49-21 win at Kroger Field. Back when he was on the sidelines in 2021, Wolford led one of the best offensive lines in Kentucky football history. The Cats were Joe Moore Award finalists with a Consensus All-American at right tackle and a future NFL starter at center. Stoops is setting aside their differences to run it back in 2024.

“You learn things, you can’t be sensitive, you have to do what’s right,” Stoops told BBN Tonight. “You learn from the good things you’ve done. You learned from some of the mistakes you’ve made, the things I can do better. And I’m sure there’s things that he could tell you he would change if he could about the separation.

“The bottom line is he’s one heck of a football coach and I know what he can do. I know how he can help this program and ultimately that’s very important.”

JUST IN: Eric Wolford returns to Kentucky Football as the offensive line coach @UKFootball announced Monday. @MaggieDavisTV sat down with head coach Mark Stoops about the hire. The full interview airs tonight at 7:30 on @LEX18News.

MORE: https://t.co/XDIyHJIx1w pic.twitter.com/7GpIPJ1RcR

— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) January 29, 2024

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