Bush Hamdan named UK football offensive coordinator

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky football has found its new offensive coordinator.

Bush Hamdan, who will also serve as Kentucky's quarterbacks coach, was announced as the latest addition to the UK football staff Wednesday evening. Hamdan replaces Liam Coen, who was recently named the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His hiring is contingent on the satisfaction of the University’s pre-employment screenings and other due diligence.

Hamdan, 38, comes to the Bluegrass with 15 years of collegiate and NFL coaching experience combined, most recently serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Boise State.

Kentucky will mark his third stop in the Southeastern Conference with previous stints at Missouri and Florida, and this will be his fifth offensive coordinator position. He garnered NFL experience in 2017, serving as the quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons.

“I’ve known Bush for a few years and spent some quality time with him in 2021,” Stoops said via press release.

“Since then, I’ve followed his career and have been very impressed by him. He’s coached under Chris Petersen, Steve Sarkisian and Eli Drinkwitz, three coaches I have a ton of respect for, and I think he’s a rising star in the coaching profession. We are excited to bring Bush and his family to Lexington.”

Boise State tied for the 2023 regular-season championship of the Mountain West Conference, then won the league championship game with a victory at UNLV. The Broncos went on to play in the LA Bowl. The Broncos were second in the MWC in scoring offense and third in total offense.

Prior to Boise, Hamdan amassed a plethora of coaching experiences, including three years at Missouri, where he coached wide receivers (2020-21) and quarterbacks (2022) under head coach Eli Drinkwitz. The Tigers earned a bowl bid in the last two seasons Hamdan was on staff and Missouri ranked 32nd nationally in passing offense in 2020.

"We are very excited to join the Big Blue Nation,” Hamdan said. “I’ve really admired Coach Stoops over the years and everything he’s done to build this program. It’s an exciting time to be at Kentucky and be back in the SEC. I can’t wait to get started.”

He began his coaching career as a student assistant with Colorado in 2009 and served as offensive intern with Maryland in 2010. In 2011, he coached tight ends at Sacramento State before moving on to serve as the wide receivers coach at Florida in 2012. The Gators went 11-2 that season, had a No. 3 ranking in the BCS standings and appeared in the 2013 Sugar Bowl. Four of his players went on to the NFL - Andre Debose, Quinton Dunbar, Frankie Hammond and Solomon Patton.

In 2013, Hamdan took the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coaching position at Arkansas State. The Red Wolves won the Sun Belt title with a 5-2 league mark and defeated Ball State in the GoDaddy Bowl.

Hamdan moved on to Davidson College as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2014 and reunited with his college coach Chris Petersen at Washington as an offensive quality control coach in 2015.

Petersen promoted Hamdan to wide receivers coach/pass game coordinator the following season and the Huskies won the Pac-12 and reached the College Football Playoff. John Ross III and Dante Pettis combined to set a Pac-12 record with a combined 32 touchdowns receiving. Ross was named an All-American and selected as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft while Pettis went in the second round.

Hamdan spent 2017 as the quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons and under his tutelage Matt Ryan became one of the NFL’s top passers. Ryan was sixth in the league in passing yards (4,095) and the Falcons advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs after winning a wild-card game on the road over the Los Angeles Rams.

Hamdan returned to Washington as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for two seasons (2018-19). The Huskies won the Pac-12 in 2018 and registered 3,337 yards passing, the fourth-most in school history. Quarterback Jacob Eason was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Huskies went to the Rose Bowl following the ‘18 season and won the Las Vegas Bowl in 2019.

Hamdan was a three-year letterwinner and two-time team captain as a quarterback at Boise State from 2006-08. His last three seasons, all played under Petersen, the Broncos posted a 35-4 overall record, including a perfect 13-0 mark and a win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2006. As a senior, he earned the Bronco Excellence Award for integrity and leadership.

He earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Boise State in 2008 and received his master's in athletic administration from Idaho State in 2009.

The Gaithersburg, Maryland, native was a standout high school quarterback and baseball player at Bishop O'Connell High in Arlington, Virginia. He passed for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns on his way to being named an All-Metro. His brother, Gibran, played quarterback at Indiana and in the NFL. Gibran was drafted by the Redskins in 2003 and spent time on the active rosters at Washington, San Francisco and Seattle while also earning NFL Europe MVP in 2006 as a member of the Rhein Fire.

Hamdan and his wife Brita, have three children, Sedona, Archer and Sahar.

Bush Hamdan’s Coaching Career

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