Hearing that Bush Hamdan is still the guy in Mark Stoops' sights and this is likely to happen. Folks in Boise are none too happy about it. Remember he's a former player and did a good job there. Right on the heels of Missouri's offense improving when he took over the playcalling duties towards the end of 2022.
My sense is that a lot of people reading here and elsewhere have wanted Stoops to hire someone like Coen, which is to say a hot up-and-comer prospect in the profession who is guaranteed to attract well-known quarterbacks and comes in like a slam dunk. Of course, Coen himself didn't give that APPEARANCE to the average fan when he was hired, but he definitely did make that splash impact the first time around.
Hamdan would be someone who will win the press conference, a setting he is really good in. Initial returns on the playcalling are good. He isn't someone who is stuck on one rigid philosophy and has shown in terms of the run/pass splits that he will fit to personnel.
He apparently did interview with Kentucky the first time around when they ultimately hired Coen. The reason it didn't move forward with Hamdan then was he wasn't the playcaller for the whole season at Missouri so it might have been a little tougher to judge.
Going out to Boise, they have really been successful with the run game. And that is a big part of what attracts Kentucky to Hamdan. Whereas Liam Coen definitely gets the passing game and elevated Kentucky quickly that respect, the belief is that Hamdan really gets the college run game.
Mark Stoops has a very good record when Kentucky outrushes its opponents, and the apparent belief is that pairing Wolford with Hamdan will be a doubling down on getting back to the kind of powerful rushing attack that the Wildcats had a lot of success with in the past.
That does not mean that Kentucky is punting on the pass game and the strides they have attempted to make there over the last three seasons. The sense seems to be that "the pieces are in place". Coen leaves with some really good personnel at QB and WR. If Kentucky can get the ground game going with Hamdan then that fits perfectly with the kind of play action and mobile quarterback that Vandagriff is.
Furthermore, Stoops really needs somebody who will stick around. So I would assume, intelligent guess, that the buyout would be pretty steep. Not sure it would be insurmountable if a factory really wanted him, but my understanding is the offensive staff as a whole will be very much locked down with these buyouts. Especially the recent guys like Wolford, Shorts, and Hamdan assuming they announce that here soon.
A lot of folks are crushing Stoops for the "Control of the offense" thing and what I have heard is every single head coach in college football is going to have some say in both the offense and defense. Kentucky is never going to load up on Top-10 corners, edge rushers, etc., and they're in the brutal SEC, so you don't want your defense to be on the field for a long time. Think about how many games Kentucky won because they could run the ball with a lead late, and now how many games they have lost late because they have not consistently been able to run the ball.
This hire seems to be about several things:
- Hamdan is someone Stoops has liked for a while
- There's a solid case to be made for him as a playcaller given his sample so far
- Someone who will win the press conference, a good communicator, someone people in the program will like
- A guy who they will be able to keep around for multiple years/continuity
If you look at the recent OC hires at places like Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi State, etc., comparable programs in the SEC for UK, it's not like the OCs they have hired have been overwhelming. More than anything its about the parts they will be working with and the overall approach/plan the head coach has.
My sense is that a lot of people reading here and elsewhere have wanted Stoops to hire someone like Coen, which is to say a hot up-and-comer prospect in the profession who is guaranteed to attract well-known quarterbacks and comes in like a slam dunk. Of course, Coen himself didn't give that APPEARANCE to the average fan when he was hired, but he definitely did make that splash impact the first time around.
Hamdan would be someone who will win the press conference, a setting he is really good in. Initial returns on the playcalling are good. He isn't someone who is stuck on one rigid philosophy and has shown in terms of the run/pass splits that he will fit to personnel.
He apparently did interview with Kentucky the first time around when they ultimately hired Coen. The reason it didn't move forward with Hamdan then was he wasn't the playcaller for the whole season at Missouri so it might have been a little tougher to judge.
Going out to Boise, they have really been successful with the run game. And that is a big part of what attracts Kentucky to Hamdan. Whereas Liam Coen definitely gets the passing game and elevated Kentucky quickly that respect, the belief is that Hamdan really gets the college run game.
Mark Stoops has a very good record when Kentucky outrushes its opponents, and the apparent belief is that pairing Wolford with Hamdan will be a doubling down on getting back to the kind of powerful rushing attack that the Wildcats had a lot of success with in the past.
That does not mean that Kentucky is punting on the pass game and the strides they have attempted to make there over the last three seasons. The sense seems to be that "the pieces are in place". Coen leaves with some really good personnel at QB and WR. If Kentucky can get the ground game going with Hamdan then that fits perfectly with the kind of play action and mobile quarterback that Vandagriff is.
Furthermore, Stoops really needs somebody who will stick around. So I would assume, intelligent guess, that the buyout would be pretty steep. Not sure it would be insurmountable if a factory really wanted him, but my understanding is the offensive staff as a whole will be very much locked down with these buyouts. Especially the recent guys like Wolford, Shorts, and Hamdan assuming they announce that here soon.
A lot of folks are crushing Stoops for the "Control of the offense" thing and what I have heard is every single head coach in college football is going to have some say in both the offense and defense. Kentucky is never going to load up on Top-10 corners, edge rushers, etc., and they're in the brutal SEC, so you don't want your defense to be on the field for a long time. Think about how many games Kentucky won because they could run the ball with a lead late, and now how many games they have lost late because they have not consistently been able to run the ball.
This hire seems to be about several things:
- Hamdan is someone Stoops has liked for a while
- There's a solid case to be made for him as a playcaller given his sample so far
- Someone who will win the press conference, a good communicator, someone people in the program will like
- A guy who they will be able to keep around for multiple years/continuity
If you look at the recent OC hires at places like Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi State, etc., comparable programs in the SEC for UK, it's not like the OCs they have hired have been overwhelming. More than anything its about the parts they will be working with and the overall approach/plan the head coach has.
