Report: Mark Stoops targeting Boise State OC Bush Hamdan to lead Kentucky football offense

Mark Stoops appears to be sticking in the college ranks for his latest offensive coordinator hire.

But the newest Wildcat play-caller still could still have a close tie to the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan NFL system that produced Liam Coen and Rich Scangarello, Kentucky’s last two coordinator hires.

Stoops has targeted Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Saturday. A source told the Herald-Leader the hire is not final but confirmed Hamdan is set for a second interview soon. Hamdan was previously a candidate for UK’s offensive coordinator position in 2020 when Stoops hired Coen for the first time. Since then, he has called plays at Missouri and Boise State.

Hamdan would replace Coen, who left UK for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator job earlier this month.

Hamdan’s Boise State offense ranked 26th nationally in yards per game (436.1) last season and 32nd in points per game (32.1). Boise State fired head coach Andy Avalos in November, but gave interim coach Spencer Danielson the job on a full-time basis after a 3-1 finish to the season. Danielson, the former defensive coordinator, retained Hamdan as offensive coordinator on his staff.

Before returning to his alma mater as offensive coordinator in 2023, Hamdan, who played quarterback at Boise State from 2004 to 2008, made college coaching stops at Sacramento State, Florida, Arkansas State, Davidson, Washington and Missouri. He was offensive coordinator at Washington in 2018 and 2019. He was quarterbacks coach at Missouri in 2022 but took over play-calling duties from head coach Eliah Drinkwitz late in the season.

Hamdan spent the 2017 season as quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons, where he worked under offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian running the offense previously installed by Shanahan in Atlanta.

Hamdan told the Idaho Statesman he based his Boise State rushing attack off Shanahan’s scheme.

“The first thing that comes to mind is whether it’s a run or pass, you’re trying to make everything look the same,” Hamdan said in March 2023. “Every time there’s a midzone play being run, there’s a (QB) keeper off of that and a play-action pass off of that.”

Boise State totaled 3,008 rushing yards and 3,098 passing yards last season, providing the type of offensive balance Stoops has craved at Kentucky. The Broncos did much of their damage against Mountain West competition and averaged 19 points per game in three games against Power 5 competition.

UK quarterback Brock Vandagriff, a former five-star recruit who transferred to UK in January after three seasons as a backup at Georgia, seems like a good fit for Hamdan’s offense.

In a recent interview, Vandagriff stressed the importance of Kentucky’s pro-style offense and similarity to Georgia’s scheme as being important in his decision to transfer to UK. Vandagriff said he considers himself a pocket passer, but he has shown the ability to also make plays with his legs.

Boise State quarterback Taylen Green rushed for 436 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

If hired by Kentucky, Hamdan would be walking away from a Boise State offense that looks in good position for another strong season in 2024. The Broncos signed former Southern Cal quarterback Malachi Nelson, a five-star recruit in the high school class of 2023, as a transfer. Star running back Ashton Jeanty announced he would return to Boise State in December amid speculation he would be the target of significant transfer interest.

At Kentucky, Hamdan would likely be in line for a substantial raise. He was paid $400,000 last season at Boise State, according to a USA Today database. Kentucky paid Coen $1.7 million.

Hamdan would be the sixth offensive coordinator in Stoops’ 12 seasons as Kentucky’s coach. The Wildcats will have a new offensive coordinator for the fourth consecutive season. Included in that stretch is two one-year stints as offensive coordinator for Coen.

Stoops has prioritized NFL experience in recent offensive coordinator hires. He hired Coen from the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 then Rich Scangarello from the San Francisco 49ers in 2022 after Coen returned to the Rams as offensive coordinator. Stoops fired Scangarello after one season and convinced Coen to return to Lexington for the 2023 season.

Hamdan would have a full spring practice to implement his scheme and make a positive impression on the returning offensive playmakers and incoming transfers who signed to play in Coen’s system.

Kentucky’s winter transfer class was headlined by Vandagriff, who played only sparingly in three seasons as a backup at Georgia. It also included North Texas star wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin, one of just 25 players in the country to top 1,000 receiving yards last season. The Wildcats signed four-star Lexington Christian Academy quarterback Cutter Boley in December. Boley is enrolled in classes for the spring semester and will participate in spring practice.

Among the returning offensive players of note are junior wide receivers Barion Brown and Dane Key. Brown in particular has been long rumored to be receiving back-channel transfer interest from traditional powerhouse programs.

Graduates can enter the transfer portal at any time, but with deadlines passed to enroll elsewhere for the spring semester already passed there is little incentive to do so before the spring. The portal reopens to any player in April.