Liam Coen situation has not reached 'final decision' yet

The coaching carousel is spinning. Head coaching hires are still being made as the domino effect from the NFL carousel is officially underway. Over at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility, Kentucky is waiting on a final decision from offensive coordinator Liam Coen who reportedly had some serious interested from both the Chicago Bears and Ohio State.

The Buckeyes appear to be out of the hunt, according to KSR’s Matt Jones. Coen’s final decision likely comes down to NFL vs. college football.

No final decision on the Coen situation. Hearing Ohio State is unlikely and if he is in college it will be at Kentucky

Decision will be (a) whether Coen is offered by the Bears and (b) does Coen want to be back in NFL or not

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 15, 2024

The Chicago Bears are current conducting an offensive coordinator search that conducted reported interviews with Liam Coen, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak, and and Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach Greg Olson. All four coaches are members of the Mike Shanahan/Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay coaching tree. Coen spent time in Los Angeles on the same staff as Waldron and Olson. There is also the chance that Coen could secure an additional job interview with another NFL franchise looking for a play-caller.

The 38-year-old offensive coordinator must decide if he wants to return to the NFL right now or stay in college football if a job offer comes.

In his second tour of duty at Kentucky, Liam Coen’s offense finished the 2023 season ranked No. 23 in red zone touchdown percentage, No. 40 in yards per play, and No. 51 in points per drive. All improvements from 2022. Efficiency was a significant issue for the offense, but Kentucky had knockout power in the explosive play department.

The play-caller played a major role on the recruiting trail helping the program sign Cutter Boley, Brock Vandagriff, Ja’Mori Maclin, and others this past recruiting cycle. Losing him after another one-and-done stint could be a significant step back for the program.

Stay locked in with KSR as we closely follow this latest coaching carousel development.