JoeSloan

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Joe Sloan has been named Kentucky’s new offensive coordinator, head coach Will Stein announced Monday.

“I’m so excited to welcome Joe, his wife Taylor and daughters, Whitley and Lottie, to the Big Blue Nation,” Stein said. “He provides expertise in the Southeastern Conference and he aligns perfectly with our staff and culture. He has developed some of the best players in the country, including a Heisman Trophy winner, and is going to be a great fit for Kentucky Football. He’ll also be a tremendous asset in recruiting throughout the South.”

Sloan, 39, joins the Bluegrass program after four years at LSU, where he was instrumental in shaping Jayden Daniels’ trajectory toward winning the Heisman Trophy and later earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

In 2024, he was elevated to offensive coordinator, and in his first season, the Tigers ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 7 nationally in passing offense, averaging 315.2 yards per game. As a unit, the Tiger offense – with first-time starter Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback – ranked fifth in the league and No. 25 nationally with 431.5 yards per game.

“I have the utmost respect for Coach Stein as a person, a leader, and a developer of young men,” Sloan said. “I’ve known Will for a long time, and when this opportunity came up, it was a dream come true. To be able to work with Coach Stein at the beginning of his head coaching career, as he builds something so special, means a great deal to me. I know he will make a lasting impact on UK and the Commonwealth and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Sloan’s development of Nussmeier went a long way in having the best season statistically for a first-year starter in program history. Nussmeier threw for more yards (4,052), TDs (29) and completions (337) than any first-time starter in LSU history.

Nussmeier ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 6 nationally in passing yards per game with 311.7. He also led the SEC in completions (337) and finished No. 2 in passing TDs (29) as he completed 64.2 percent of his passes in leading LSU to a nine-win season.

Sloan’s impact on the development of LSU quarterbacks was evident in 2023 when Daniels had one of the most spectacular seasons in school history on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. Daniels claimed nearly every honor for a player at his position as he was named the winner of the Davey O’Brien, Manning and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards, as well as being named National Player of the Year from Sporting News, Associated Press and Walter Camp.

Daniels was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, becoming one of only four players in LSU history selected among the top two picks in the draft. LSU made history in the 2024 NFL Draft when Daniels and Malik Nabers were selected in the Top 10. It marked the first time in league history a quarterback and wide receiver from the same school were Top 10 picks.

In his final season at LSU in 2023, Daniels led the nation in total offense with an SEC-record 412.2 yards per game. He set the FBS single-season mark for pass efficiency rating (208.0), completing 236-of-327 passes for 3,812 yards, 40 TDs and only four interceptions. He also led the nation in rushing yards by a quarterback for the second straight year with 1,135 yards. In all, he accounted for 50 touchdowns, the second-most in LSU history, becoming only the fifth player in SEC history to reach that mark.

Daniels set the SEC mark with 606 total yards (234 rushing, 372 passing) in a win over Florida as he became the first player in FBS history to rush for 200 yards and pass for 350 yards in a game. Daniels tied Joe Burrow’s school record for total TDs with eight (2 rushing, 6 passing) in a win over Georgia State the following week.

Sloan’s influence went beyond Daniels as backup Nussmeier – starting for the first time in LSU’s ReliaQuest Bowl win over Wisconsin – set the school marks for passing yards (395) and completions (31) for a player in his first career start. Nussmeier drove the Tigers 98 yards on eight plays late in the fourth quarter, tossing the game-winning TD pass to Brian Thomas, in the 35-31 victory over the Badgers. Sloan, along with Cortez Hankton, served as co-offensive coordinators for the bowl game with the Tigers racking up 492 total yards, including 395 through the air.

As a unit, LSU’s offense was the most explosive in college football in 2023, leading the nation in total yards per game (543.5) and scoring (45.5). The Tigers were also the only team in the FBS to rank among the Top 10 in both rushing (No. 10 at 204.5) and passing (No. 3 at 338.9) yards per game.

In his debut season at LSU in 2022, Sloan helped Daniels transition from the Pac-12, where he was a three-year starter at Arizona State, into one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC by season’s end. Daniels was one of only two players nationally to rush for 800 yards and throw for over 2,500 yards in 2022, setting program records for rushing yards (885) and rushing TDs (11) by a quarterback.

In addition, Nussmeier, playing in place of an injured Daniels in the second half of the SEC Championship Game, set the school mark for passing yards in a half with 294 yards and 3 TDs during the final two quarters as LSU set the SEC Championship Game record with 502 passing yards.

Prior to LSU, Sloan spent nine seasons at Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs appeared in seven bowl games, won at least nine games four times and claimed the Conference USA West title twice.

In addition to his coaching duties at Louisiana Tech, Sloan spearheaded the recruiting efforts for the Bulldogs. Tech’s 2020 signing class ranked No. 1 in Conference USA and was listed as the No. 4 class nationally among the Group of 5 programs. Among his top recruits were a pair of Louisiana natives who went on to earn All-America honors in Jaylon Ferguson and Amik Robertson.

During his time in Ruston, Sloan oversaw the development of some of the program’s top offensive threats. In his nine years in Ruston, 31 Bulldogs on the offensive side of the ball earned all-conference honors, a group that includes quarterback Luke Anthony (2020 C-USA Newcomer of the Year), quarterback J’Mar Smith (2019 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year), wide receiver Teddy Veal (2017 C-USA Newcomer of the Year) and wide receiver Carlos Henderson (2016 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year). He also coached wide receiver Trent Taylor, who from 2013-16 racked up the second-most receiving yards in program history (4,179) and under Sloan’s guidance, finished his career ranked first in school history in receptions with 327. Taylor led the nation in receiving yards in 2016 with 1,803, while Henderson led the country in receiving TDs with 19 that year.

Sloan joined Louisiana Tech in 2013 as inside receivers coach and was elevated to recruiting coordinator in 2014. In 2015 he was named the assistant head coach and prior to the 2019 season, was promoted to co-offensive coordinator. He was named offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs in January of 2020.

In 2019, Sloan helped guide an offense that among C-USA programs ranked second in scoring (32.5), second in total offense (436.8), fourth in both passing (268.5) and rushing (168.4), first in third-down conversion percentage (41.4) and second in first downs (304).

In 2016, the Bulldogs led their league in several offensive categories, including passing offense (363.4), completion percentage (.667) and first downs (358). Individually, Tech had two players rank among the top five in Conference USA in receiving yards.

In his second season on staff, Sloan played an integral part in LA Tech’s nationally ranked offensive numbers, with the Bulldogs ranking 13th in scoring offense, 15th in fourth down conversion percentage and 22nd in red zone offense.

Sloan got his start in coaching at South Florida, where he served as offensive quality control assistant for two years (2010-11), followed by a season as a graduate assistant. He spent the spring of 2010 as an administrative assistant with an emphasis on recruiting for East Carolina.

Sloan played football at East Carolina from 2005-08, appearing in 41 games as a backup quarterback and holder on placekicks. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, managerial finance from ECU in December of 2008, graduating summa cum laude, before earning his MBA in May of 2010. Sloan was selected to the ECU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll each semester at ECU.

A Chester, Virginia, native, Sloan starred at Thomas Dale High School. He is married to the former Taylor Thomas. The couple has two daughters, Whitley and Lottie.

Joe Sloan’s Coaching Career