By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops will have a new offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach next fall.
The university confirmed Friday afternoon that Shannon Dawson and Tommy Mainord won’t return next season. With the departure of Dawson, Kentucky will hire its third offensive coordinator in four years.
Dawson spent just one season with the Wildcats and enjoyed success in the first half of the year as the Wildcats compiled a 4-2 record. But then, things fell apart as Kentucky lost five of its last six games down the stretch.
Mainord came with Stoops to Lexington when he was hired as coach in 2013. Like Dawson, Mainord faced criticim over the team’s lack of success in the passing game.
Under Dawson’s direction, the Wildcats rushed for 1,952 rushing yards, the most since the 2010 campaign. On the flip side, the Wildcats gained 2,512 yards through the air. The total was 262 yards less than the team gained passing in 2014.
Patrick Towles, who started the first 10 games before being benched in favor of Drew Barker in the final two contests, wasn’t happy to hear of Dawson’s departure.
“Coach Dawson is one of the greatest offensive minds I’ve ever seen around,” Towles said in a tweet. “Would love to sit in the same meeting room with him again.”
Towles announced his plans to leave the program after the season. He announced on Friday that he would attend Boston College next year.
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports writer who covers University of Kentucky athletics for KyForward.com