In a move that raised more questions than answers, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has hired L’Damian Washington as the Wildcats’ new wide receivers coach. Washington, 33, joins Kentucky after two seasons at USF, where he served as wide receivers coach in 2023 and added the role of passing game coordinator in 2024.
Stoops was effusive in his praise for Washington, citing his coaching of Stoops’ nephew, Drake, at Oklahoma as a key factor in the decision. “I’ve known about him for a few years as he coached my nephew... So, I’ve gotten some really good intel on his coaching style,” Stoops said. While Stoops also highlighted Washington’s energy and perseverance, many fans and analysts are baffled by the reasoning behind the hire. He coached his nephew Drake and that's the reason he brings up first?
This marks the seventh wide receivers coach Stoops has hired in his 13-year tenure, a revolving door that speaks to the lack of consistency in Kentucky’s offensive coaching staff. Offense has long been a glaring weakness for Stoops-led teams, which consistently rank near the bottom of the SEC and nationally in offensive production. Critics argue that Stoops’ decision-making on offensive hires has often lacked vision, relying more on familiarity than a clear plan to modernize and improve Kentucky’s attack. In fact, in most ways the most recent hires have all been attempts to go backwards to run only Stoops teams.
Washington’s resume, while respectable, doesn’t scream game-changer. His two-year stint at USF came with mixed results under head coach Alex Golesh, and his experience as a passing game coordinator is limited. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s passing game remains one of the program’s most persistent problems. The leading receiver for USF was Sean Atkins who finished the regular season with 677 yards. If you are looking for a positive, the top 5 yardage producers through the air were all WRs for the Bulls.
Washington expressed excitement about reuniting with offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and working with Kentucky’s young receivers, including Ja’Mori Maclin and Hardley Gilmore IV. However, the hire does little to inspire confidence that Kentucky’s offense will finally turn the corner.
At a time when SEC offenses are increasingly explosive and innovative, Kentucky’s inability to find stability and competence on offense continues to hold the program back. Hiring a coach primarily because he worked with a Stoops family member feels like another misstep in a troubling pattern of baffling offensive hires.