A dive into the stats of every OC in the Stoops era
Is Bush Hamdan the problem, or is he just the latest symptom of a chronic illness plaguing the Kentucky football program? A look back at the offensive coordinators during the Mark Stoops era reveals a damning pattern. Instead of a summary, let's look at the hard numbers, year by year. The data builds a powerful case that fans can see for themselves.
The Neal Brown era (2013-2014)
Brown was Stoops's first hire, tasked with building an offense from scratch.
- 2013: 20.5 Points Per Game
- 2014: 29.2 Points Per Game
The Shannon Dawson era (2015)
Dawson took over after Brown left to become a head coach, but his tenure lasted just one season.
- 2015: 24.7 Points Per Game
The Eddie Gran era (2016-2020)
Gran's five-year run was the longest and saw a mix of styles, including the incredible Lynn Bowden Jr. season.
- 2016: 30.2 Points Per Game
- 2017: 25.5 Points Per Game
- 2018: 26.6 Points Per Game
- 2019: 27.2 Points Per Game (The Lynn Bowden year)
- 2020: 21.8 Points Per Game
The Liam Coen 1.0 era (2021)
Coen arrived from the NFL and immediately transformed the offense into the most explosive version of the Stoops era.
- 2021: 32.3 Points Per Game
The Rich Scangarello era (2022)
Rich Scangrello has forever ruined everything good Liam Coen had going at UK when Coen went NFL.
— Bark Stoops (@BarkStoops) September 1, 2025
Hired to replace Coen, Scangarello's offense was a dramatic step backward and led to the lowest-scoring season under Stoops.
- 2022: 20.4 Points Per Game
The Liam Coen 2.0 era (2023)
Coen's return brought an immediate and predictable return to offensive competence.
- 2023: 29.1 Points Per Game
The Bush Hamdan era (2024-Present)
Hamdan took over after Coen left again, and the offense has regressed to familiar territory.
- 2024: 20.6 Points Per Game
- 2025 is trending similarly through two games.
The inescapable conclusion
When you lay the numbers out, the pattern is impossible to ignore. There are three clear peaks in offensive production during the last decade of Kentucky football, two belonging to Liam Coen, who brought a modern, NFL-style passing attack to Lexington. And one to Eddie Gran who pounded the rock.
Outside of Coen's tenure and Gran's first season in 2016, every other year falls into a predictable and uninspiring range of 20-27 PPG. This isn't a one-off problem; it is a decade-long trend.
Given that multiple coordinators on this list—Neal Brown (head coach), Shannon Dawson (coached a #1 NFL draft pick), and Liam Coen (NFL head coach)—have had major success away from Kentucky, the data builds an undeniable case. The issue isn't who Mark Stoops is hiring, but the conservative, run-first offensive ecosystem they are seemingly forced to operate in. The numbers don't lie.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he spends time with his family, and watching Premier League soccer. Psalm121:7-8.#UpTheAlbion