Sean McVay Coaching Tree Grows After Liam Coen Hire

It's over. It is finally over.

After 48 hours of groundbreaking news coming out of Jacksonville, news that included a firing of their general manager, ghosting of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and some tactics to satisfy or circumvent (depending on who you ask) the Rooney rule, former Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen is the new head coach for the Jaguars.

Coen first joined the Rams during their 2018 season as assistant wide receivers coach, helping the team reach Super Bowl LIII, a position he stayed in for two years before becoming the Rams assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020. Coen would then become the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky.

While Coen was at Kentucky, he achieved incredible success, finishing 10-3 with the Wildcats during the 2021 season. The Rams also found success that year winning Super Bowl LVI and after Kevin O'Connell's hiring by the Vikings, Coen was rehired by the Rams for their OC position.

As everyone knows, the 2022 season did not go to plan due to roster depletion, poor contracts, and injuries. While McVay toyed with retirement, Coen returned to Kentucky as OC. He did coach up Baker Mayfield during his time as Rams OC, reuniting with Mayfield in Tampa Bay in 2024.

Coen is now the sixth man to have worked as an assistant under McVay who would become an NFL head coach. A positive sign for Jaguars fans, four out of the five coaches hired off McVay's tree have made the playoffs with their new team.

At the collegiate level, Jedd Fisch, the current Washington Huskies head coach, and former McVay assistant, turned the Wildcats from a team that had lost 23 of 24 games from 2019-2021 into a 10-win team in 2023 and he was instrumental in the recruitment of expected first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan

Coen joins Fisch, O'Connell, Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor, Raheem Morris, and Brandon Staley as assistants who have become head coaches. Coen also joins Joe Barry, Thomas Brown, Zac Robinson, and Jimmy Lake among others who have received promotions or coordinator jobs after working for McVay. Expect Aubrey Pleasant to be added to that list.

Sean McVay, despite not being 40, has a coaching tree reaching Bill Walsh levels of impressive and Coen's hire just adds to that list.