Kentucky has made hire of offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello official

The wait wasn’t very long. Just hours after Kentucky’s hire of Rich Scangarello leaked out on social media, the University of Kentucky made the hire official on Friday evening.

Kentucky now has the guy who will replace Liam Coen.

We are continuing what we've built here on offense!

Welcome to #BBN: Offensive Coordinator/QBs coach: Rich Scangarello. Coach Scangarello joins us from the @49ers and will build our @NFL system from the Shanahan, McVay and Coen coaching tree.

📰 https://t.co/QevYeAytw0 pic.twitter.com/1vrBmCJ6Ye

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) February 25, 2022

The now former quarterbacks coach of the San Francisco 49ers has spent four seasons working under Kyle Shanahan. The head coach in San Francisco spent multiple years with Sean McVay as the two worked for the Washington Redskins before getting head coaching opportunities.

From there, a coaching tree was born.

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops loves what this offense offers as a run-first attack and was committed to finding someone who could keep the ball rolling after Liam Coen established the groundwork in 2021.

“When the Rams hired Liam Coen, I knew I wanted to find a replacement that would continue what we’ve built here,” Stoops said. “We just hired Zach Yenser from the 49ers to coach the offensive line and having both Rich and Zach, who come from the same (Mike and Kyle) Shanahan tree, (Sean) McVay tree and (Liam) Coen tree, not only bring a wealth of experience but they also help keep continuity. It’s a seamless transition.
 
“Rich is inarguably one of the best quarterback coaches in the country,” said Stoops. “Rich is experienced, he’s coached elite quarterbacks, he’s called plays in the NFL and college, and the fact that he is interested in this job just shows the growth of our program. We have hired two coaches from one of the best organizations in all of sports. I couldn’t be more excited about where our program is headed.”

Scangarello was the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 2019 and helped lead former Missouri quarterback Drew Lock to his best season as a pro. This past year, the assistant’s work helped guide veteran Jimmy Garoppolo as the 49ers made an appearance in the NFL Championship. The NFL assistant is excited about returning to college and coaching in the SEC.

“I’m very excited to be coaching at Kentucky and in the Southeastern Conference,” Scangarello said. “The timing was perfect for me to be a coordinator again especially under a head coach who has a vision for the offense we will run. His belief in a pro-style system felt like the right opportunity for me and at the right time. I’ve watched UK play on film and I really like the quarterback Will Levis. Seeing how he plays in this high-level system was part of the appeal. I think we will continue doing great things and I’m ready to get started.”

Kentucky’s QB1 has a chance to have a special senior season, and Scangarello will help guide the NFL prospect. Stoops has found a replacement for Coen that appears to be very qualified for the position just in time for the start of spring practice.