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Kentucky football cuts ties with offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello

ryan black, louisville courier journal
·4 min read
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In this file photo, then-Kentucky offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello watches a play during the fan day open practice on Aug. 6 at Joe Craft Football Training Center in Lexington, Kentucky. The Wildcats fired Scangarello last week after just 12 games as OC.

LEXINGTON — Rich Scangarello's tenure as Kentucky's offensive coordinator lasted just one season. And he didn't even make it to a bowl game.

The Wildcats dismissed Scangarello on Tuesday, a school spokesman confirmed to the Courier Journal, after just 12 games in the position. He's the second staffer fired in as many days; Kentucky got rid of running backs coach/co-special teams coordinator John Settle on Monday.

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Scangarello replaced Liam Coen, who left to become the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator after their Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Prior to joining Kentucky's staff, Scangarello had been the quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

Despite an expected first-round NFL draft pick at quarterback (Will Levis), one of the best running backs in school history (Chris Rodriguez) and talented options in the passing game (receivers Tayvion Robinson, Barion Brown and Dane Key), Scangarello's unit struggled all season. The Wildcats' offense failed to score more than 27 points in its final eight games. After five games of 40 or more points under Coen's guidance in a 10-3 campaign in 2021, Kentucky didn't reach that mark a single time with Scangarello calling the plays.

The high-point mark for UK this season? It scored 37 points in the opener versus Miami of Ohio.

It went downhill from there.

The Wildcats ranked among the worst teams in the 131-school FBS in numerous offensive categories, including yards per game (336.3; tied for 106th), points per game (22.1; 105th) and red zone efficiency (78.7%; 106th). Kentucky is last among the 14 teams in the SEC in yards and points per outing, while its red zone percentage was better than only Florida (76%).

UK's offensive futility was best encapsulated during a four-game stretch late in the season.

Starting with its game at Tennessee on Oct. 29 and ending with its home tilt versus top-ranked Georgia on Nov. 19, Kentucky failed to score more than 21 points in any contest. That included six-point efforts in losses to the Volunteers (44-6) and the Bulldogs (16-6) and 21-point performances against Missouri (on Nov. 5) and Vanderbilt (Nov. 12).

The showing against the Commodores was particularly startling.

Entering that contest, Vanderbilt, which was on the third-longest losing streak in SEC play (26 games) in the league's history, had given up 27 or more points seven times in its eight previous outings. Included in that stretch were four games of 45-plus points and three of 50 or more. The Commodores' 36.8-points-per-game permitted made it the worst in the conference.

But through three quarters that day, all the Wildcats could muster was a pair of field goals. Rodriguez scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground in the final period, but it wasn't enough to avoid a 24-21 loss — arguably the most ignominious setback of Mark Stoops' tenure.

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UK finished the regular season with a 7-5 mark, topping Louisville 26-13 in the Governor's Cup last week at Kroger Field. While Stoops searches for a new offensive coordinator and running backs coach, the Wildcats await their bowl placement, which will be announced Sunday.

Scangarello's replacement will be Kentucky's fourth offensive coordinator in as many years. Before Scangarello and Coen, Eddie Gran was the Wildcats' OC for five seasons (2016-20). Gran is still on UK's staff, serving as the special assistant to the head coach.

Now in his 10th season at Kentucky, Stoops on the hunt for his sixth offensive coordinator. Neal Brown, now the head coach at West Virginia, was in the position in 2013 and 2014. Shannon Dawson had the job for just one season (2015); Stoops didn't retain him. Gran, Coen and Scangarello followed.

While Scangarello no longer is running Kentucky's offense, the athletics department still will be paying him through the remainder of his contract. Per the agreement, Scangarello is owed a $2.625 million buyout, paid in monthly installments until the contract ends June 30, 2025.

However, should Scangarello accept another position before that date, it will offset the amount of the buyout.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football: Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello fired