L’Damian Washington Named Kentucky Wide Receivers Coach

University of Kentucky head football coach Mark Stoops announced Tuesday the hiring of L’Damian Washington to coach the wide receivers.

“We are very excited to add L’Damian to our staff,” Stoops said. “I’ve known about him for a few years as he coached my nephew, Drake Stoops, at Oklahoma. So, I have gotten some really good intel on his coaching style. He is young, energetic, and can relate to our players. He has an amazing story of perseverance and I think he will be a great addition to our team.”

Washington, 33, comes to the Bluegrass after two seasons (2023-24) as the wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator under head coach Alex Golesh at USF. He was the wide receivers coach in 2023 before adding pass game coordinator to his title in 2024.

“I’m very proud to join the Big Blue Nation,” Washington said. “I’ve known the Stoops family for a while and being able to coach under one of the best head coaches in the country in Mark Stoops is an honor. I am also excited about working again with Bush Hamdan. Bush is one of the main reasons I got into coaching and he’s been a big influence in my life.  What else excites me is the opportunity to work with this talented group of receivers. I knew Ja’Mori Maclin from his playing days at Missouri and we have a lot of young talent returning in Hardley Gilmore, Rico Crowder, Fred Farrier and others. It’s an exciting time to be a Wildcat.”

The Bulls recently earned their 12^th bowl appearance, finishing the 2024 regular season 6-6 overall and 4-4 in the American Athletic Conference. They will face San Jose State in The Hawai’i Bowl on Dec. 24.

Wide receiver Sean Atkins posted incredible numbers the last two seasons under Washington, including becoming the first 1,000-yard receiver (1,054) in program history in 2023. The former walk-on also broke the USF career receptions record (160) and has at least four catches in 24 of 25 games since the start of the 2023 season – more than any FBS player over that span. Atkins earned second-team All-AAC honors in 2023 after recording 92 catches for 1,054 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a third-team choice in 2024 with a team-high 68 catches for 677 yards and two scores.

In his first season at USF in 2023, Washington helped the Bulls produce 12 team and 16 individual records, capping the biggest turnaround in program history (a six-win improvement) with a 45-0 rout of Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Bulls ranked 17^th nationally in total offense (451.6 yards per game) and tallied 5,871 yards, the third-best mark in program history.

Washington spent the 2022 season at Oklahoma under head coach Brent Venables. He worked with an offense that produced 32.9 points per game and averaged 8.14 yards per passing attempt. Wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. was named to the All-Big 12 Football First Team after leading the Sooners with 54 catches for 1,083 yards and six scores. He averaged 20.1 yards per reception which ranked sixth nationally. Mims is currently in his second season with the Denver Broncos. In 2023, he became just the second rookie in Broncos’ history to be selected to the Pro Bowl and AP All-Pro team in the same season.

Prior to Oklahoma, Washington worked one season at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana under head coach Jason Rollins. He also served as director of player development at his alma mater, Missouri, in 2020, working with then-quarterbacks coach Bush Hamdan. Additionally, he volunteered as the head coach at West Middle School in Columbia, Missouri in 2019 and 2020.

Washington had a standout career as a player at Mizzou from 2009-13. The four-year letterwinner and two-year starter caught 100 passes for 1,735 yards and 15 touchdowns. In his first two seasons, he caught 25 passes for 399 yards and three touchdowns before moving into a starting role as a junior. In 2012, he caught 25 passes for 443 yards and two scores before exploding for 50 catches and 893 yards (17.9 average) with 10 scores as a senior. One of his most memorable plays came in an upset win at Georgia, catching a double-pass from Bud Sasser to help Mizzou to a 41-26 victory between the hedges. The team captain finished with a career-high 115 yards and two scores on seven receptions against the Dawgs. He also caught a 96-yard TD pass against South Carolina as the Tigers would go on to capture the 2013 East crown that season.  The Tigers advanced to bowl games four times when he was with the program.

Following his collegiate playing career, Washington signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Over the next two years, he would spend time with seven NFL teams before playing in the CFL. He briefly played in the Birmingham Alliance of American Football in 2019 before that league shut down.  He then played for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL before that league was shut down in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Washington, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Missouri in 2013. While a student-athlete, his personal story garnered national attention, as he lost both of his parents by the age of 15. He often shares his story and inspires others as a motivational speaker.

He and his partner, Alexis, have two children, Banks and King.

The hiring of Washington is contingent on satisfactory completion of the university’s pre-employment screenings and other due diligence.

Washington’s Coaching/Playing Career

* Offseason and/or practice squad member only

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