Why early success has bred optimism Rich Scangarello will stick around for UK football

Rich Scangarello’s debut as Kentucky football’s new offensive coordinator had to be considered a rousing success in a 37-13 win over Miami (Ohio) this month.

Too bad he could not find his phone afterward to read the congratulatory text messages that were surely piling up.

“It’s funny the things you don’t think about as a coach,” Scangarello said a few days later. “At halftime our locker room is in here, and we’re in there. So, where do the coaches put their stuff? I put my stuff where they told me to put it and then realized it was the (postgame) media room. I came in there after the game and none of my stuff was there.

“Yeah, I’m learning too.”

Missing phone aside, Scangarello’s return to college football has gone as well as anyone could have hoped when Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops lured him from his job as quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers to replace Liam Coen, who had been named the offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams after one season in Lexington.

Scangarello’s offense has not been perfect, but the Wildcats’ record remains unblemished. The NFL Draft stock of quarterback Will Levis continues to soar as Kentucky ranks 26th nationally in passing yards per game (296.3).

Scangarello has found creative ways to spread the ball among a trio of dynamic wide receivers and a gaggle of pass-catching tight ends. There is even hope that a struggling rushing attack is about to receive a major boost with the return of All-SEC running back Chris Rodriguez from a four-game suspension.

“There are some things about college football, especially in the SEC, that you can truly appreciate when you’re a part of it,” Scangarello said after the opener. “It’s different than the NFL. Honestly, it gave me chills, some of it.”

‘WE’RE BLESSED TO HAVE A GUY LIKE RICH’

Once criticized for being too conservative with his offensive philosophy, Stoops can now be described as an innovator forging new ground in the college game.

When the All-SEC schedule necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 exposed the limitations of a UK offense that had grown too one dimensional, Stoops acted quickly to replace offensive coordinator Eddie Gran with Coen, then the assistant quarterbacks coach with the Rams. The hope was Coen could build on the reputation Kentucky had forged as a physical rushing team by bringing the offense run to much success by Sean McVay in the NFL to college football, using a play-action heavy scheme to restore balance to the Wildcats offense.

The promise of a more dynamic passing attack helped Kentucky lure Levis and wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson as transfers from Penn State and Nebraska, respectively. In one season playing together under Coen’s leadership, Levis progressed from a run-first backup quarterback to a buzz-worthy NFL Draft prospect while Robinson broke UK’s single-season records for catches and receiving yards to earn a second-round draft selection by the New York Giants.

But Coen’s success meant his former boss came calling when the Rams’ offensive coordinator job opened after the Super Bowl. Stoops was faced with the choice of doubling down on his decision to build around the NFL scheme or hire a new coordinator who might not be as big a risk to jump back to the professional ranks after a short stint in Lexington.

Stoops had already hired 49ers assistant offensive line coach Zach Yenser to coach his offensive line, so it made sense to look to San Francisco again, where Kyle Shanahan was running an offense developed from the same coaching tree that produced McVay. Scangarello, who had previously made several stops at the small-college level, was intrigued by the opportunity.

“A true quarterback guy that has been an offensive play-caller in the NFL, quarterback coach in the NFL, a highly regarded quarterback coach to help a young man like Will take it to the next level,” Stoops said. “When you look at a guy like Will, could have certainly come out a year ago (to the draft), but like any player that wants to be the very best, is highly motivated to take his game to the next level.

“We’re blessed to have a guy like Rich to work with him.”

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello was hired to replace Liam Coen as Kentucky football’s offensive coordinator in February.

A similar blueprint had worked well for Kentucky once before.

When star edge rusher Josh Allen elected to return to UK for his senior season in 2018, Stoops hired former Indianapolis Colts assistant Brad White as his new outside linebackers coach to help mold Allen into a first-round draft pick. The partnership worked better than could have been hoped as Allen was named National Defensive Player of the Year as a senior then was picked at No. 7 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Scangarello’s reputation as an elite quarterbacks coach made him a perfect fit to help Levis, who sat in on interviews with the coordinator candidates, cash in on his ever-growing hype.

“For him to have the experience he does working with such high profile quarterbacks at the next level and having the experience of understanding how guys’ brains work and how some guys need to be coached a little differently than other guys, I’ve really seen that with how he has been coaching me versus (Kentucky’s backup quarterbacks),” Levis said. “Everyone has a different kind of mindset. Even though at the end of the day we’re trying to make the same things happen, he’s able to coach us all at an individual level in a way that I really haven’t seen from another quarterback coach.”

‘COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY’

Asked to compare Coen and Scangarello, Kentucky tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow has a joke ready that actually points toward one of Scangarello’s biggest strengths as a coach.

“Liam was kind of like the cool young gym teacher, and Rich is kind of like the social studies veteran teacher,” Marrow said.

Casting Scangarello as an intellectual would probably come as no surprise to longtime UC Davis coach Bob Biggs, who gave Scangarello his first job more than 20 years ago when Scangarello walked into his office to ask if there was room for a volunteer assistant on staff.

Scangarello’s playing career ended at Oakmont High School in Roseville, California, where his coach once called him a “half-ton truck who hits like a two-ton truck.” He graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in business administration, expecting to start a career as a high school coach.

After two years coaching at Oakmont, Scangarello approached Biggs about a job. Biggs was impressed by his passion for the teaching aspect of coaching. While UC Davis played at the Division II level at the time, it did have a future NFL quarterback in J.T. O’Sullivan on the roster.

“It’s teaching,” Biggs said in March after Kentucky hired Scangarello. “I mean, that’s what it is. First and foremost, coaching is teaching. If you’re a good communicator and you’re bright, inquisitive and you want to teach, then you’ve got a chance.”

Richmond Flowers, the CEO of QB Collective, a camp that brings together many of the top high school quarterbacks with NFL coaches has seen Scangarello’s teaching ability first hand.

While working in the NFL, Scangarello was an annual participant at QB Collective. Current college quarterbacks Bryce Young (Alabama), D.J. Uiagalelei (Clemson), J.T. Daniels (West Virginia) and Drake Maye (North Carolina) are among the program’s alumni.

“When he’s at that event, he’s connecting with these quarterbacks unlike anybody else,” Flowers said. “He’s taking more time to really teach and back everything with film and evidence and he’s building relationships with these guys because it’s real. It’s just something that he loves to do. He probably just spends an inordinate amount of time letting those guys know he’s there to help them get better in those three or four days he’s got access to these guys. They feel his investment in them.”

Scangarello’s QB Collective experience could serve Kentucky well when it is time to recruit Levis’s replacement. While current backups Kaiya Sheron, Deuce Hogan and Destin Wade will have a chance to compete for the job next spring, Kentucky is expected to add another transfer quarterback in the offseason.

When Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier, a QB Collective alum, announced plans to enter the transfer portal this week, Kentucky was quickly mentioned as a possible destination. Other former quarterbacks who participated in the camp are likely to enter the portal in the offseason either in search of more playing time or a better path to the NFL Draft.

Scangarello’s success with Levis figures to be a valuable recruiting pitch for Kentucky when those decisions are made.

“Communication is the key,” Biggs said. “The quarterback position often times is dictated by the personality playing it, not just by the talent the person possesses. You have to be able to communicate very well with your quarterbacks so they have an understanding of what you’re trying to do. It’s not just X’s and O’s, plays. How does it all blend together? How does one build on the other? Again, I think that’s where Rich will be effective.

“... He’s the kind of guy that I think the quarterbacks will feel like, ‘Man, I’m really prepared for this game.’ I’ve always found over the years that a quarterback’s confidence when he knows he’s been prepared well is just so much better than somebody with natural ability kind of going into the game just feeling like I’ll kind of wing it around and we’ll do OK. I think that’s where he’ll train his quarterbacks. He’ll force them to be very detail oriented.”

Kentucky OC Rich Scangarello and Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel coaching footwork and fundamentals at QB Collective in 2019. #QBCollective #FinsUp #BBN #KentuckyWildcats pic.twitter.com/AOJXTxflHb
— QB COLLECTIVE (@QBCollective) September 28, 2022

‘MY FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD IS COORDINATING’

Scangarello’s one stint as an NFL play-caller ended when he was fired after just one season as the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator in 2019. He called plays at Millsaps College, Northern Arizona and Wagner, but no one would confuse those stops with the SEC.

While Scangarello’s teaching credentials were strong when he arrived at Kentucky, how he would perform running his own offense again was a question.

Early returns have been impressive though.

Playing with a rebuilt offensive line that does not feature a single starter playing the same position he did a year ago and has been further slowed by injuries, Kentucky has struggled to both protect Levis and pave the way for its running backs at times. Still, Scangarello has stayed committed to trying to establish offensive balance.

In the first half at Florida, Scangarello did not deviate from his game plan even as the Gators loaded extra defenders into the box to stop the run. He knew that strategy would leave Florida vulnerable to the deep pass, and Levis exploited that weakness with a 55-yard touchdown pass to freshman Dane Key in the second quarter.

“We waited, we felt the moment and then we went over the top,’ Scangarello said. “I think that loosened them up, and then we had a chance to attack something different.”

Through four games, Rich Scangarello’s Kentucky offense ranks 26th nationally in passing yards per game.

With Florida forced to guard against other shots down the field, the running lanes suddenly opened in the second half and Kentucky was able to grind out an early victory over a ranked opponent.

Two weeks later against Northern Illinois, Scangarello knew a couple of run calls might not lead to much success but would set up future play-action shots in the passing game. That strategy paid off with a touchdown pass to freshman Barion Brown on a scheme.

“That’s the game within the game,” Levis said. “You obviously want to draw up every run play to be successful, but sometimes there’s an ulterior motive behind it. I get excited when those run calls get called in the game because I know a couple drives later that shot might be coming.

“... That side of things is one I’ve been able to learn a lot more of this year from him. I really like how his mind works like that.”

The question Stoops faced when he started his search for Coen’s replacement has not gone away.

Hiring NFL assistants at the college level always brings with it the risk those coaches will quickly jump back to the professional ranks. If Kentucky remains in the top 10 for most of the season and Levis solidifies recent projections he could be a top-10 pick, Scangarello will probably be in demand by both NFL and college teams in the same way Coen was last winter.

The good news for Kentucky is Scangarello appears to be genuinely embracing the unique aspects of coaching in college.

“I tell a lot of people I’m in no hurry to be a head coach,” he said. “My favorite thing in the world is coordinating. It’s fun. The strategy of it, getting guys to buy in, seeing them go make it come alive. The euphoria after the (Florida) game, it was probably as good a feeling as I’ve had coaching that I can remember. Quite honestly, it’s just different in the SEC than in the NFL.”

Flowers, who also serves as Scangarello’s agent, thinks Scangarello is “uniquely suited for college football.” He knows his client might have other job opportunities in the offseason but insists the focus is on the job he has.

“He loves the University of Kentucky,” Flowers said. “He considers it the best decision he’s ever made. He loves Coach Stoops, he loves the environment. He loves everything about it.”

Maybe his first full recruiting cycle will change that perception. Maybe an NFL coordinator job opens that is too good to pass up. Maybe another college program decides to take Stoops’ strategy to the next level by hiring someone from the McVay/Shanahan coaching tree to be its head coach.

But the chances are just as good that the spark moving to Kentucky has provided Scangarello’s career keeps him in Lexington, too.

Finding the type of success that would make Scangarello a candidate for any of those opportunities would mean he had already built something special here.

“Honestly, I feel like I was put on this planet to teach,” Scangarello said. “My subject is football. I love it, I’m passionate about it. The game has slowed down for me. I’ve been around some incredibly good mentors that have taught me a lot. I’m applying that now. I’m just enjoying it. I’ve had more fun coaching here in the last couple of months than I can remember having ever. I’m going to continue to do that.

“I work for a really good man and a really good program. I think we coach guys like they’re pro players. I know they’re in college, but I feel like we’re going to be able to recruit who we want because they’re going to want to play in the NFL and they’re going to see that — and that’s going to make us better, too. I can’t wait to be a part of this for a long time.”