Bush Hamdan is on the move again-and this time, it’s back to the NFL.
After a brief, two-month stint at Mississippi State as associate head coach for offense, Hamdan is heading to South Florida to join Jeff Hafley’s first staff with the Miami Dolphins as quarterbacks coach. It’s a familiar leap for the 39-year-old, who’s no stranger to the pro game or to quick transitions.
Hamdan, a former Boise State quarterback, brings a diverse coaching résumé that spans both college football and the NFL. He spent the last two seasons as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator, and while the Wildcats didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard during his tenure, Hamdan’s reputation as a quarterback developer and offensive mind has remained strong. That reputation is now taking him back to the league for the first time since 2017, when he served as the Falcons’ quarterbacks coach and helped guide Matt Ryan to a top-six finish in passing yards.
His return to the NFL comes just weeks after accepting the job at Mississippi State, highlighting the kind of demand Hamdan still commands. The Dolphins are bringing him in to work with a quarterback room that will be under the microscope in 2026, and his experience-especially in QB development-could be a key asset for Hafley’s new-look staff.
Hamdan isn’t the only former Kentucky assistant making his way to Miami. Offensive line coach Zach Yenser is also joining the Dolphins, taking on his first full-time offensive line coach role at the NFL level.
Yenser reunites with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, with whom he shared time on staff in San Francisco and Houston. That familiarity could pay dividends as the Dolphins look to solidify their offensive identity under a new regime.
If it feels like Kentucky coordinators keep making the jump to the NFL, that’s because they are. Hamdan becomes the third consecutive Wildcats OC to land an NFL gig after leaving Lexington, following in the footsteps of Liam Coen-who made the leap twice-and Rich Scangarello. It’s a trend that says something about the kind of offensive minds Kentucky has brought in, even if the on-field results haven’t always matched the résumé.
Under Hamdan, Kentucky’s offense showed modest improvement in 2025 after a rough 2024 campaign. The Wildcats went from scoring 1.61 points per drive (115th nationally) to 1.72 (105th), and their red zone touchdown percentage jumped significantly from 52.94% to 66.67%.
The success rate climbed from 39.4% to 42.8%, and their EPA per play improved from -0.12 to just shy of neutral at -0.01. Still, the offense ranked outside the top 100 in yards per play both seasons, and the SP+ ranking only moved from 89 to 81.
Incremental gains, but not the kind that typically turn heads-unless you're watching the tape and see the nuances Hamdan brings to quarterback play and game planning.
The Dolphins clearly saw enough in Hamdan to believe his skill set translates better to the NFL, where he’ll be tasked with helping develop and refine the quarterback play in a pivotal year for the franchise.
Meanwhile, the exodus of Kentucky assistants this offseason has been notable. Alongside Hamdan and Yenser, a number of former Wildcats staffers have landed new roles across the college football and NFL landscape.
Defensive coordinator Brad White and defensive backs coach Chris Collins are now at Florida. L’Damian Washington is coaching receivers at Ole Miss.
Eric Wolford took over the offensive line at LSU. Tight ends coach Derek Shay is now with Texas A&M, while Mike Hartline heads to South Florida to coach quarterbacks.
Even behind-the-scenes staffers like Chase Heuke (Louisville), Brad Lambert (Marshall), and Kevin Barbay (Tulsa) have found new homes.
It’s a mass migration that underscores just how much turnover Kentucky’s staff has undergone-and how much coaching talent has come through that program in recent years. While the Wildcats look to reset, many of their former coaches are stepping into bigger roles elsewhere, including on NFL sidelines.
As for Bush Hamdan, his coaching journey continues with another chapter in the pros. After nearly a decade back in the college ranks, he’s back in the NFL, this time in Miami, where he’ll play a key role in shaping the Dolphins’ quarterback play in 2026 and beyond.