SEC Football

Liam Coen is leaving his gig as offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams to go back to the University of Kentucky.

Per ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Coen is taking the same position with the Wildcats on head coach Mark Stoops' staff.

Mortensen noted Coen helped assists in Baker Mayfield's rushed preparation for the Rams' game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night. Mayfield didn't officially join the team until Tuesday when he was claimed off waivers.

Despite the short week and quick turnaround time, Mayfield took over at quarterback for the Rams' second offensive possession of the game. He turned in one of his best performances of the season, finishing 22-of-35 for 230 yards and one touchdown.

The touchdown pass was a 23-yard toss to Van Jefferson with nine seconds remaining that gave Los Angeles a 17-16 victory.

Thursday's win snapped a six-game losing streak for the defending Super Bowl champions.

Coen returns to Kentucky after leaving the program following the 2021 season. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Wildcats during his first stint.

Stoops fired Rich Scangarello as offensive coordinator on Nov. 29 after one season with the Wildcats. Their 22.1 points per game ranked 106th out of 131 FBS programs.

This marks the sixth time in Stoops' 10 seasons as Kentucky head coach he has made a change at offensive coordinator.

Kentucky's offense ranked 36th in the nation with 32.3 points per game with Coen as coordinator in 2021.

Rams head coach Sean McVay brought Coen back to the NFL after Kevin O'Connell, the team's offensive coordinator from 2020-21, was hired as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

This was Coen's second run with the Rams. He was originally hired by McVay in 2018 as assistant wide receivers coach. The 37-year-old served in that role for two seasons before being taking over as assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020.

Wide receiver Chris Marshall was one of the most highly touted players in the 2022 recruiting class for Texas A&M, but he will have a new home next year.

According to 247Sports' Jeff Tarpley, Marshall plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal this winter. He is a former 5-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 3 wideout in 247Sports' composite coming out of Fort Bend Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas, last year.

Marshall appeared in six games for the Aggies this season and recorded 11 catches for 108 yards. He didn't appear in the final five games of the year after he was one of three players to be suspended on Oct. 25 for their involvement in what was described as a "locker room incident" following Texas A&M's loss to South Carolina.

The Aggies' 2022 recruiting class was initially considered to be one of the greatest of all time. Marshall was one of eight 5-star recruits for Texas A&M, which set a new record for an incoming class. However, the team had a disappointing 2022 campaign in which it finished with a 5-7 record, leading to a mass exodus this offseason.

Per 247Sports, 22 Texas A&M players have entered the transfer portal so far. That list includes 5-star cornerback Denver Harris, 4-star offensive lineman PJ Williams, running back LJ Johnson, edge rusher Donnell Harris, defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye and former starting quarterback Haynes King.

It appears that Texas A&M will be in transition next year. The 2023 recruiting class is ranked 18th overall by 247Sports and features just two 5-star prospects in defensive lineman David Hicks and running back Reuben Owens. Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher faces a daunting road as he hopes to lead the team to a better showing next season.

DJ Lagway, a 5-star quarterback, announced his intention to attend the University of Florida on Wednesday, choosing the Gators over USC, Clemson, Texas A&M and Baylor.

"I feel they're going to build something special and I definitely want to be part of it," Lagway told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports. "The coaching staff, I have a really good relationship with those guys. I love the system that they have. Coach Napier has an amazing system and I feel I fit perfectly in there."

Lagway is the No. 24 player and fourth-ranked quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. The Willis High School product is also the fourth-ranked prospect from the state of Texas.

Florida previously landed 4-star linebacker Myles Graham and 4-star running back Chauncey Bowens. Lagway says he hopes to help coach Billy Napier build a stellar recruiting class in Gainesville.

"I'm truly ready to start recruiting," Lagway said. "That's why I wanted to decide early so I can go ahead and start building up that No. 1 class."

Napier went 6-6 in his first season at Florida after coming over from Louisiana. The Gators ranked as high as No. 12 in the country after upsetting Utah in the opening week of the season but struggled with their consistency the rest of the way.

Napier hopes to avoid the program suffering through its second straight losing season when the team travels to play Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl later this month.

Tennessee's Hendon Hooker and Georgia's Stetson Bennett were named as the All-SEC Team quarterbacks for the 2022 season, leaving Alabama's Bryce Young on the outside looking in.

Young, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, spent much of the middle part of the season dealing with injuries and was not considered a serious contender to repeat. He finished with 3,007 yards and 27 touchdowns against five interceptions while adding 195 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Hooker outperformed Young in nearly every statistical category while also winning a head-to-head battle in Knoxville. Bennett threw for fewer touchdowns and threw one more pick than Young, but it would be hard to justify leaving off the quarterback leading the nation's best team.

It's also worth noting that Bennett is a Heisman finalist.

Of course, this is likely to have absolutely zero bearing on Young's future. He's a future high first-round pick and could be the first person to hear his name called in next April's NFL draft.

The vast majority of quarterbacks taken high in the first round have made their all-conference team before being drafted. The last Power Five quarterback to not do so was...well, it was Justin Herbert. Suffice it to say the Los Angeles Chargers are perfectly fine with him having never made an All-Pac-12 team.

The LSU Tigers are getting one of their top offensive weapons back for the 2023 season.

Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte announced he will return to the program next season, adding he will "lock in and focus on the main goal of any LSU Tiger: winning a national championship."

This is somewhat of a welcome surprise for LSU, considering Boutte was a potential first-round pick had he decided to enter the 2023 NFL draft. B/R's NFL Scouting Department listed him as the No. 31 overall player and No. 6 wide receiver in its most recent big board.

However, B/R's Derrik Klassen highlighted that there is room to improve:

"Drops that plagued him early in the season have waned as the year went on, but they haven't disappeared. Moreover, Boutte transitioned to play more from the slot this year, which is a somewhat concerning—or at least curious—move for a player who previously made his mark working outside the numbers.

"Stack those potential concerns on top of Boutte's less explosive play this season, and it's hard to justify giving him a first-round grade despite how naturally talented he is."

There is no doubting Boutte's talent after he arrived at LSU as a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 overall wide receiver in the class of 2020, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He wasted no time making an immediate impact with 735 receiving yards as a freshman and nine touchdown catches in just six games as a sophomore, but his numbers took a hit this year.

He posted 538 receiving yards and two touchdown catches in 11 games for the SEC West leaders. To Boutte's credit, he was at his best in important moments this season with 115 receiving yards in a win over Florida and 107 yards and a touchdown in the SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia, but there was plenty of inconsistency along the way.

Perhaps steadier play to go with his talent level could bolster his status ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Georgia Bulldogs added a major piece to their 2023 recruiting class.

Samuel M'Pemba, who played on both sides of the ball in high school, announced he will be part of Georgia's class Sunday.

M'Pemba is a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He is also the No. 30 overall player, No. 4 edge-rusher and No. 8 player from the state of Florida in the class of 2023.

Some of the nation's top programs recruited him at some point during the recruiting process, underscoring his overall potential and talent.

In fact, his list of interested schools included Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Wisconsin, among others.

Keegan Pope of On3 noted M'Pemba played on the offensive side of the ball for IMG Academy in 2021 as a tight end/H-back, although many schools were interested in him as a defensive prospect.

Pope pointed out On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power believes M'Pemba is best suited as a pass-rusher on the defensive side despite his ability as a tight end.

His overall athleticism and versatility stands out, and it isn't difficult to envision him using that explosiveness to burst past offensive tackles on the snap. Some of the physicality he used as a pass-catcher over the middle at tight end could also come in handy on the defensive side against the run if that is where he ultimately plays.

While M'Pemba's position could change at times, he is one of the best players in the entire 2023 class and will look to live up to his potential at Georgia.

This is a case of the rich getting richer, as the reigning champion Bulldogs are one of the programs that simply reloads instead of rebuilds by landing players like this on the recruiting trail.

Part of that reloading process will likely be replacing the dominant Jalen Carter along the defensive line, which will be a group effort.

M'Pemba is someone who can help with that group effort by generating pressure and drawing double-teams on the outside, which will open up more blitzing lanes for his teammates.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is making the case for the Crimson Tide to be one of the four teams selected for the 2022 College Football Playoff.

While speaking on ESPN's College Football Show, Saban discussed Bryce Young's shoulder injury and how it limited him earlier in the season, per ESPN's Alex Scarborough. Additionally, Saban noted that his team has played well over the last three weeks of the season, going 3-0.

The longtime Alabama head coach said the CFP Selection Committee must ask itself: "How are they playing at present?"

Saban made similar comments after Alabama defeated Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 26, via ESPN's Chris Low:

"I don't make those decisions, but I know what a resilient football team this has been. We've lost two games to top-10 opponents, both on the last play of the game and both on the road. We could have easily won both games but didn't. We're a good football team and hopefully people will recognize that and we'll get a chance [to play in the playoff]."

Alabama went 10-2 this season, suffering losses to No. 7 Tennessee and No. 14 LSU. They fell to the Volunteers on a last-second field goal, and lost to LSU when the Tigers scored on a late two-point conversion.

The Crimson Tide are currently ranked No. 6 in the CFP rankings behind Georgia, Michigan, TCU, USC and Ohio State.

USC's loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game and TCU's loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game opened the door for a two-loss team like Alabama to be selected for the CFP.

If the Crimson Tide are picked for the four-team playoff, they would be the first-ever two-loss team to be picked for the CFP. Additionally, Alabama has appeared in every CFP since its inception in 2014, except for 2020.

The CFP Selection Committee is set to make its picks on Sunday. If Alabama is not selected, they will at least appear in a non-playoff bowl game.