Jaguars 2025 head coach candidate profile: Buccaneers OC Liam Coen

For the third time in 5 years, the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for a brand new head coach.

Massive Cat Nation’s Jaguars head coach hiring course of tracker is consistently being up to date — however to offer extra data on the highest candidates being interviewed, we’ll be releasing in-depth profiles all through the search.

Different head coach candidate profiles:

Subsequent up: Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who Jacksonville has requested an interview with.

Expertise

Coen performed quarterback from 2004-08 on the College of Massachusetts Amherst the place he was a four-year starter and finally voted into the UMass Athletics Corridor of Fame after setting six of the eight obtainable UMass profession passing information.

Coen then started his teaching profession in Cleveland, touchdown a job because the Browns’ quarterbacks coach in 2010, a job he later returned to in 2012 and 2013 after one season because the College of Rhode Island passing recreation coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He then returned to UMass in 2014 as their cross recreation coordinator and quarterbacks coach earlier than touchdown his first offensive coordinator function on the College of Maine in 2016.

Liam returned to the NFL in 2018 as an assistant large receivers’ coach for the Sean McVay-coached Rams the place he would later transition to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020. After three years in Los Angeles, Coen would take the ideas realized with the Rams to Kentucky, the place he can be named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2021 season. Coen helped the Will Levis-led Wildcats obtain a 10-3 report and a 2022 Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa, scoring 32 factors per recreation. In his first season at Kentucky, Levis would throw for twenty-four touchdowns, putting him on the radar of NFL normal managers.

After the Citrus Bowl win, Liam returned because the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2022. Los Angeles was contemporary off a Tremendous Bowl LVI victory and former OC Kevin O’Connell was employed as head coach of the Vikings. Whereas McVay can be accountable for play calling, Coen would deal with weekly recreation planning and set up in collaboration with McVay. Nonetheless, the crew would finish the season Twenty seventh in factors scored after shedding a number of key members to damage for vital parts of the season. Quarterback Matthew Stafford missed the preseason and performed in simply 9 video games earlier than touchdown on injured reserve with a season-ending neck damage. High large receiver Cooper Kupp would additionally miss eight video games and finish his season on injured reserve attributable to an ankle sprain together with shedding receiver Van Jefferson for the primary six video games.

With McVay reportedly considering retirement for the second straight offseason, Coen returned to Kentucky to tackle his prior function, bettering their 2022 19 factors per recreation to 26 factors per recreation. He would then hop again to the NFL, this time calling performs for the Buccaneers, bringing us present on his 15 whole years of teaching.

Liam’s offense, led by the resurgent quarterback Baker Mayfield, has helped the Buccaneers obtain a 2024 10-7 common season report regardless of battling by means of accidents on offense. Tampa Bay was fourth within the league in factors scored and third in yards gained whereas down a few of their prime pass-catchers: Chris Godwin missed 10 video games with a dislocated ankle, and Mike Evans and Cade Otton every missed three video games with hamstring and knee accidents, respectively.

Efficiency

2024 Buccaneers offense

• Factors per recreation: 29.5 (4th)
• First downs per recreation: 23.2 (2nd)
• Yards per recreation: 399.6 (third)
• Yards per play: 6.2 (third)
• EPA per play: 0.133 (fifth)
• Success fee: 49.4% (tied 2nd)

Passing offense

• Complete touchdowns: 41 (2nd)
• First downs per recreation: 13.2 (third)
• Yards per recreation: 250.4 (third)
• Yards per try: 7.9 (sixth)
• EPA per play: 0.211 (fifth)
• Success fee: 52.6% (third)

Dashing offense

• Complete touchdowns: 16 (14th)
• First downs per recreation: 8.06 (seventh)
• Yards per recreation: 149.2 (4th)
• Yards per try: 5.3 (2nd)
• EPA per play: 0.012 (sixth)
• Success fee: 44.4% (sixth)

Situational offense

• Early down EPA per play: 0.095 (fifth)
• Early down success fee: 48.1% (third)
• Late down EPA per play: 0.271 (fifth)
• Late down success fee: 54.3% (1st)
• Landing fee within the purple zone: 66.7 (4th)

Quotes

How new Bucs OC Liam Coen views the offense

From River Wells for BucsWire (Feb. 2024)

“I used to be taught in occasions of disaster, you suppose gamers, not performs. It’s not about what perhaps I like, or the play that I’d like essentially the most, however what will get the ball into our greatest gamers’ arms. What can our guys execute at a excessive degree, be capable to go do and trust in? Additionally, behind my name sheet, I’ve a participant field for a number of gamers. In the end, we need to get the ball of their arms, proper now, no questions requested, the protection will not be going to vary, it’s not [going to] matter what occurs – the ball goes to their arms proper now. As a result of this recreation is a personnel recreation, proper? And on the finish of the day, it’s about these guys.” – Liam Coen

What offense ought to we anticipate from new Bucs OC Liam Coen?

From Mike Kiwak for BucsNation (Feb. 2024)

In a single yr underneath [former OC Dave] Canales, the Bucs have been simply center of the street within the league, ending 18th in cross makes an attempt off PA (101 throws) and twenty third in passing yards off PA (728 yards). By comparability, the [University of Kentucky] Wildcats underneath Coen have been prime 25 nationally in PA share in 2023, and so they have been prime 20 in PA effectivity with Will Levis in 2021. To that time, it was with Coen that Levis emerged as a prime faculty passer and doable first-rounder, earlier than the Coen departed and Levis considerably declined in ‘22.

Who Are the Finest Up-and-Coming NFL Head Teaching Candidates?

From Diante Lee for The Ringer (Nov. 2024)

Coen constructed a strong résumé by means of the primary half of the season. Within the first seven weeks, earlier than the Bucs misplaced receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to accidents, Tampa Bay had the sixth-best passer ranking and yards per cross try and was one in every of simply seven groups averaging 5 yards per carry or extra. Tampa Bay’s 18 passing touchdowns and 946 dashing yards in that span have been greater than it had up to now two years mixed. However what ought to make Coen stand out from his friends is what he has performed within the weeks since shedding one of many league’s greatest receiver duos, taking an already wholesome offense and catapulting it ahead. He has proven he’s able to maximizing subpar expertise and crafting a system his quarterback is assured in.

Why Liam Coen Deserves Thorough Consideration for Bears Coach

From Gene Chamberlain for Chicago Bears on SI (Dec. 2024)

Coen’s offense outperformed Ben Johnson’s offense in solely his second recreation as an NFL play caller. In Week 2 this yr, the Buccaneers went to Detroit and handed the Lions their solely loss, 20-16. Coen does not have the dominant offensive line within the league paving the best way for his offense. He does not have a quarterback who has been in his system for 3 years the best way Jared Goff is for Johnson. He took castoff Baker Mayfield and put collectively the third-best assault within the league.

From Shaw Syed (Sumer Sports activities) for JoeBucsFan (Jan 2025)

“Baker Mayfield has performed effectively however will not be in that elite tier of different quarterbacks that we now have talked about. You lose Chris Godwin however you do a very good job of scheming up Jalen McMillan. You herald Bucky Irving as a result of Rachaad White was a fairly inefficient rusher final yr and you alter your run-fit ideas to higher match each of them and you utilize two-back units loads” complementing their types.” – Shaw Syed

Liam Coen: Being a head coach is the aim

From Myles Simmons for Professional Soccer Discuss (Jan. 2025)

“I do consider I’m prepared to take action[be an NFL head coach]. I don’t suppose you’re ever really absolutely prepared, however yeah, that may be a dream. Does that must occur once I’m 39 years previous and having most likely essentially the most enjoyable of my life teaching and dealing and being right here? No, that doesn’t imply that should happen proper now. However yeah, that’s the aim. That’s completely the aim… However like I stated earlier than, that aim can maintain off for some time right here and proceed to do what we’re doing. That will be fairly particular.” – Liam Coen

Obvious pluses

• Offensive coach from the Sean McVay tree (just like Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell, Shane Waldron, Zac Taylor, and so on).
• Has proven quarterback improvement at each cease. After putting in an offense that allowed Will Levis to go from shedding a quarterback battle at Penn State to transferring and changing into a prime 50 NFL draft choose, Coen then helped propel Baker Mayfield’s 2023 efficiency into one other tier of play in 2024 by utilizing a balanced, but fashionable offensive scheme.

• A youthful, offensive-minded head coach who is ready to develop his fashionable offense with Trevor Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr as staples.
• Has constructed a convincing resume in reigniting a beforehand struggling run recreation. Underneath Coen, the Bucs’ Twenty seventh-ranked 2023 dashing EPA improved to sixth in 2024, the dashing success fee went from thirty second to sixth, and their dashing yards per try went from thirty second to second. His success on this space is made extra spectacular as he achieved these outcomes with minor personnel modifications up entrance, with the crew including free agent guard Ben Bredeson (1 yr, $3.5 million) and middle Graham Barton within the draft.

Lingering questions

• Will Liam be capable to construct a robust teaching workers on each side of the ball early on? This query has gotten many first-year head coaches in hassle early on, attributable to hiring a assist workers that may be a little too model new throughout the board. What connections has Liam constructed all through 15-years of teaching and is he capable of leverage these into an skilled workers? In a detailed analysis, the distinction between a company deciding to go together with Coen or one other offensive-minded teaching possibility may come all the way down to who their deliberate defensive coordinator and/or workers picks are.
• Is Coen nonetheless too new as a play caller? Whereas Coen has a big variety of years in teaching underneath his belt, we now have but to see his offensive scheme be challenged or compelled to evolve with the identical personnel in back-to-back seasons. How does he react to defensive coordinators’ offseason counters towards him after and full low season of evaluating his offensive tendencies, scheme, and personnel use? These are questions that usually fail many play callers in yr two of their offense that Coen, as a play calling head coach, must quickly reply on the sphere for the primary time.

• Is Coen head coach materials? His quick success in Tampa has been each eye-opening and worthy of acclaim. Nonetheless, does being an incredible play caller and offensive thoughts in yr one certify that he’s prepared to steer a franchise and set the worldwide tradition? Is he a frontrunner of males with an identification in thoughts and a plan for organizational success? With no prior expertise as a head coach underneath his belt, these would be the questions underneath investigation by many NFL normal managers over the following month.
• Would Coen be keen to work with Jaguars incumbent normal supervisor Trent Baalke as his GM or in one other function throughout the entrance workplace? As Gus identified in his Ben Johnson profile, a number of nationwide reporters have voiced issues over the attractiveness of Jacksonville’s head coach opening with Baalke nonetheless on the town. Nonetheless, it could be shocking to see a prime first-year head teaching possibility select to handcuff themselves to a GM with that quantity of bags and reportedly, 2-years remaining on his contract.

Jaguars followers, how do you are feeling about Coen? Tell us within the feedback!