Where Jaguars' Liam Coen Lands on HC Rankings

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has the future of the franchise in the palm of his hands in his first year as an NFL head coach.

After last year's 4-13 record and the complete and utter collapse of the 2023 Jaguars, Coen certainly has his work cut out for him. But there is a reason the Jaguars tabbed him as Doug Pederson's replacement and as Trevor Lawrence's hopeful savior.

"When we interviewed 10 remarkable candidates for the positions, two things became clear to me. Number one, that this wasn't a moment of regret for the Jacksonville Jaguars—this was a moment of progress, optimism and confidence that we will achieve the ultimate goal as long as we have the right man; and, number two, that man was Liam Coen," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in January when the franchise hired Coen.

"Why? Liam's outstanding body of work speaks for itself. Quarterback development is the bedrock of modern NFL, and Liam has delivered that wherever he's coached. His outstanding reputation preceded our first interview on video, and everything we heard about him from top people throughout football—solicited and otherwise—was confirmed when we met Liam here last week. Liam was bright, prepared, ambitious and he inspired us. I knew then that Liam was our man, and we got our man."

In short, Khan has a lot of hope and expectations tied into Coen's success. And if Coen has a solid first year at the helm, the Jaguars could turn things around quicker than anyone expects.

First, though, Coen has to prove it on the field -- just like his team. But if he does, you can expect him to climb the head coach rankings in 2026.

For now, though, Coen lands in an expected spot in the latest head coach rankings from CBS Sports: at No. 26, alongside a few other first year head coaches.

"His Jacksonville introduction was quirky, but the real concern is he's bounced between six different jobs over the last six years. Still, he's got a vision for aiding Trevor Lawrence, which is priority No. 1 as the mercurial quarterback enters another prove-it season," CBS Sports said.

One thing of note: Coen ranks ahead of one AFC South peer in Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan, who is ranked dead-last at No. 32.