The 2026 college football season is inching closer. A new era of Kentucky football will arrive when Will Stein leads his team out of the endzone tunnel at Kroger Field on Labor Day weekend. There will be a lot of new faces after massive changes were made following UK’s season-ending blowout loss to Louisville back on Thanksgiving weekend. Some familiar faces will elsewhere when the college football season begins.
Transfer portal movement gets most of the attention in the offseason but a bunch of coaches also have to find new homes when there is a change. This is where former Kentucky staffers landed this offseason.
CoachPosition at KentuckyNew OrganizationNew PositionBush HamdanOffensive CoordinatorMiami DolphinsQuarterbacksBrad WhiteDefensive CoordinatorFloridaDefensive CoordinatorChris CollinsDefensive BacksFloridaSafetiesL’Damian WashingtonWide ReceiversOle MissWide ReceiversEric WolfordOffensive LineLSUOffensive LineDerek ShayTight EndsTexas A&MTight EndsMike HartlineOffensive Quality ControlSouth FloridaQuarterbacksChase HeukeDirector of RecruitingLouisvilleDirector of RecruitingBrad LambertDefensive AnalystMarshallDefensive CoordinatorJay BoulwareSpecial Teams Coordinator/Running BacksWest VirginiaRunning BacksKevin BarbayOffensive AnalystTulsaOffensive CoordinatorDean HoodDirector of Player DevelopmentMarshallSafetiesNate FuquaDefensive Analyst/Outside LinebackersTulaneCo-Defensive Coordinator/BanditsMax SteurerGraduate AssistantFloridaAssistant Inside LinebackersDanielle BraswellExecutive Director of RecruitingAlabamaDirector of Recruiting OperationsTyler MaloneAssistant Strength CoachWestern KentuckyAssociate Director of Football Strength and ConditioningTy WilliamsAssistant Director of Player PersonnelKansasDirector of RecruitingFrank BuffanoSafetiesEastern KentuckyLinebacker
After a brief stop at Mississippi State, Bush Hamdan is the new quarterbacks coach in Miami for head coach Jeff Hafley. Brad White is working with Jon Sumrall at Florida again and brought Chris Collins plus Max Steurer with him. Louisville director of recruiting Pete Nochta is now Kentucky’s assistant general manager. He was replaced by former Kentucky director of recruiting Chase Heuke at Louisville. Mike Hartline went to work for his brother at South Florida. Derek Shay (Texas A&M), Eric Wolford (LSU), L’Damian Washington (Ole Miss), and Danielle Braswell (Alabama) all found spots in the SEC. Analysts Brad Lambert, Nate Fuqua, and Kevin Barbay found full-time roles in the Group of Six.
Kentucky will face more than a few of these coaches this season in SEC matchups and the season finale against Louisville. Mark Stoops took a gig on Steve Sarkisian‘s staff but he is not currently listed on Texas’ updated 2026 roster.