Liam Coen takes an unsurprisingly messy path to land HC job

While the news is exciting for the former Wildcat assistant coach and his family, the hiring was surrounded by a boatload of controversy in the hours before it was reported.

Initially, Coen interviewed for the Jaguars' open head coaching job earlier this month. Jacksonville was interested in him after their meeting, but the former Kentucky offensive coordinator decided to no longer pursue the vacancy, and on Wednesday, he let the Jaguars know that he had decided to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive coordinator for the 2025 season.

Then, in a bit of a surprise, ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed on Thursday evening that Coen was actually back in Jacksonville to meet with the Jaguars again about their head-coach opening.

But that's not where the surprises ended.

According to the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud, the Bucs were reportedly unable to reach Coen at all on Thursday until he called Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles to inform him that he was re-considering the Jacksonville head-coaching job.

Kentucky is very familiar with Coen experiencing a sudden change of heart. It was only a little less than a year ago that he parted with the Wildcats for the second time since 2021 to become the Bucs' offensive coordinator.

This decision came after Coen claimed in 2023 that he wanted to remain with the Wildcats for multiple years after returning for a second stint with the school.

"I just want to go somewhere, make a real impact, and plant some roots for a little bit. Be somewhere for a few years — at least — that you feel really good about. I'm excited about being back in Lexington. 

... There's a lot about the SEC and college football that I missed, and I'm not in a rush to go anywhere."

It's safe to say that anyone who was already familiar with Coen's time with Kentucky wasn't surprised by any of the news that was being shared on Thursday.

Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, it clearly wasn't aware of what the former Wildcats offensive coordinator was capable of, and now, less than 24 hours after being made to believe he would be returning for another season, the Bucs need someone new to run their offense for the 2025 campaign.