Liam Coen never had the chance to coach former Kentucky quarterback Joey Gatewood, who transferred to UK from Auburn years ago as a four-star high school quarterback prospect, on the field when the two were in Lexington. However, it nearly happened before Gatewood elected to hit the transfer portal for a second time ahead of the 2021 season.
Coen arrived in Lexington as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator a couple of weeks before Kentucky beat NC State in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021, to close out the 2020 season. At the time, Gatewood was still on the roster and remained with the team up until August 2021.