Following Vince Marrow's stunning turning of the coat from blue to red, Kentucky has named a new tight ends coach.
Mark Stoops announced Friday he has promoted Derek Shay to become the Wildcats' tight ends coach after spending the past 16 months in Lexington as a senior offensive analyst and run game specialist, working primarily alongside offensive line coach Eric Wolford.
“We are fortunate to have someone already on our staff who has coached tight ends at a high level and led those rooms successfully,” Stoops said. “He is familiar with Coach (Bush) Hamdan’s system and I’m very confident in his abilities. His versatility, football IQ, and on-field toughness will be a valuable addition to our offense.”
Of course, simply coaching tight ends was only part of Marrow's value to Kentucky -- and something Shay (nor anyone else, either on staff or in the coaching market) could replace on their own. Marrow was also UK's associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and NFL liaison, and made $1.3 million to wear all those hats.
The 34-year-old Shay arrived to Kentucky from Marshall, where he spent the 2023 campaign as the Thundering Herd's tight ends coach. Shay began coaching as an undergraduate at Eastern Illinois working with the tight ends and offensive line, and has previously worked with the position at Bowling Green, McNeese and LSU. He also spent 2022 as a senior offensive analyst at Missouri, working under current Wildcats offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan.
“Derek is a very knowledgeable coach with an outstanding work ethic. Our players and coaches at LSU loved him—not just as a coach, but as a man. He’s an outstanding recruiter with tireless energy and a passion for developing young talent. Additionally, he’s a great family man who brings character and integrity to everything he does. The University of Kentucky is getting a great one. He’s a great hire," Ed Orgeron said.