Zach Yenser: “I want to do a good job for John (Schlarman).”

Kentucky was not expected to have a coaching search at the offensive line position this offseason. Continuity is always a good thing, especially after a year of success. Following a surprise departure and a new, fresh look at available options, head coach Mark Stoops realized everything in life happens for a reason.

“It worked out, you know?” Stoops said Tuesday. “Things happen for a reason. It’s pretty great the way things worked out, so I’m very excited about that.”

Eric Wolford took the offensive line coaching position at Alabama after just one year on staff at Kentucky. In his place, Stoops hired San Francisco 49ers assistant offensive line coach Zach Yenser. Previously working with the late John Schlarman — Kentucky’s former offensive line coach who passed away at the age of 46 in 2020 — and coming from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree with the 49ers, it was a can’t-miss opportunity that fell into his lap on short notice.

Stoops will be the first to tell you it all felt too good to be true. After meeting with him and beginning the hiring process, though, he realized it was simply fate.

“It was like, ‘This is too good to be true.’ And then you get on the phone with him and he’s just, he’s remarkable,” Stoops said. “His knowledge of this system is through the roof, but then you take into consideration — I mean, he reminds us so much of John (Schlarman). I hate to put that on him, but it’s a compliment to him. I think we all know that. If you say that about anybody, you’re patting them on the back pretty good. Liam (Coen) brought him to me. The first thing we do is open the book and look, see who is on this tree we can get.

“The fact that he was tied to Kentucky and tied to John, I mean, it was an absolute no-brainer.”

Yenser’s first collegiate coaching opportunity came as a graduate assistant under Schlarman in 2007. As Schlarman was finding his footing as a college football coach, Yenser was just getting his start. 15 years later, Yenser is picking up where Schlarman left off with Kentucky’s Big Blue Wall.

After getting to know Yenser both as a coach and as a person, the similarities couldn’t be more clear.

“They’re just great people. It doesn’t take long — again, you spend some time with Zach and you’re going to see a guy that genuinely cares,” Stoops said. “His knowledge is there. His knowledge of the game, his passion for the game is there. But also that connection, he’s a great recruiter because he relates well to people. I think there are different styles, and Coach Schlarman’s style worked very well here. Zach is a lot like him.”

For Yenser, he watched Schlarman closely from the minute the two crossed paths. He saw how his mentor juggled his work and family life to near perfection, balancing time, love and support with those in his life all while growing as an elite football mind. He wanted to follow in those same footsteps.

“Schlar(man), he was such an impactful person for me as a young football coach,” Yenser said Tuesday. “Just seeing how he treated the players. It was really cool to see it as a young guy because you heard stories about coaching football where you couldn’t be a good football coach and a good father, a good husband. You couldn’t, just the time. Watching him as a young guy do it, and how he treated his players and how he treated his family. And he was a doggone good football coach.”

Schlarman treated those in his life with calculated care and encouragement on a situation-by-situation basis. He knew how to talk to people based on their needs, how they were motivated. The former Kentucky assistant knew how to get the best out of those he came in contact with.

Yenser watched and took careful notes.

“Everybody was a little different. He treated everybody a little different,” Yenser said. “You know, he kind of knew how each person ticked. He would get up close to some guys, knew who he could talk to in front of the room. Taking all that in as a young football coach has been very impactful for me.”

Now, Yenser is literally following in Schlarman’s footsteps. He’s taking over the position Schlarman built from the ground up, one he established as a top group in all of college football. For Yenser, it’s an honor to carry on his legacy as the offensive line coach at Kentucky.

“The responsibility — because you know what you have to do as a football coach, you know your responsibility as an O-line coach,” Yenser said. “I do believe it’s the most important position on the field. But there is a little bit extra of, I want to do a good job for John. I want to do a good job for his family and just carry on that tradition.”