Parker Fleming Tabbed Special Teams Coordinator/Inside Wide Receivers Coach

Kentucky football head coach Will Stein has announced the hiring of Parker Fleming as the program’s special teams coordinator and inside wide receivers coach.

Fleming arrives in Lexington with more than a decade of experience coordinating and developing elite special teams units at the highest levels of college football. He spent last season at Oregon as the assistant quarterbacks coach, working closely in Stein’s offense, and brings a proven track record of excellence from one of the nation’s most successful programs.

“I’m excited to bring Parker to Kentucky to lead our special teams and work with our inside wide receivers,” Stein said. “We worked together at Oregon, and I was impressed by his incredible attention to detail. He brings an elite understanding of special teams and the passing game, and I know he will help us elevate those phases of our program.”

Oregon’s offense totaled 71 touchdowns and 6,783 yards of total offense in 2025, averaging 452.2 yards and 36.9 points per game. Quarterback Dante Moore threw for 3,565 yards, ranking 12th nationally, and 30 touchdowns, which ranked sixth in the country.

“I’m very excited to be at Kentucky,” Fleming said. “I grew up in Atlanta and was raised in SEC country. I’ve always viewed this league as the best in the nation. Kentucky’s brand is also elite, and the passion and support of the fans are second to none. Having the opportunity to join Will Stein’s staff was the ultimate selling point. I admire him tremendously as a coach and as a person.

“If you watch football at any level, you understand how impactful special teams are on the outcome of a game, and I enjoy that responsibility,” Fleming continued. “It allows me to connect with every player on the roster, which I love. I also can’t wait to work with the inside wide receivers and help them achieve their goals.”

Prior to Oregon, Fleming spent six seasons at Ohio State, serving as the quality control coach for special teams from 2018-20 before being promoted to the special teams coordinator and defensive assistant from 2021-23. During his tenure, Ohio State’s special teams consistently ranked among the nation’s best.

 In 2018, the Buckeyes ranked No. 2 nationally in kickoff return defense, No. 6 in net punting, No. 8 in punt return defense and No. 10 in blocked kicks. In 2021, Ohio State again placed among the top 25 nationally, ranking 20th in kickoff return defense (17.8 yards allowed per return) and 22nd in kickoff returns (24.5 yards per return), with Emeka Egbuka finishing 12th nationally at 29.0 yards per return.

Fleming was instrumental in the development of some of the top specialists in the country, including two-time Ray Guy Award semifinalist and All-Big Ten punter Drue Chrisman, who finished his career fourth in school history in punting average (44.0 yards), and record-setting placekicker Noah Ruggles, who connected on 90.2 percent of his field-goal attempts and produced the two highest single-season scoring totals by a kicker in Ohio State history.

Fleming first started at Ohio State as the wide receivers and special teams graduate assistant from 2012-13. During his entire time on Ohio State’s coaching staff (2012-13 and 2018-2023), the Buckeyes boasted an impressive 116-15 record with five Big Ten titles, seven Big Ten East Division championships, two Rose Bowl victories, a Sugar Bowl championship, three College Football Playoff appearances and one CFP National Championship berth.

After his first stint at Ohio State, he became the special teams/wide receivers coach at James Madison for two seasons (2014-15) before moving to Texas State University for the same position in 2016. A year later, he was named the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Bobcats.

At JMU, Fleming coached wide receiver Daniel Brown, who led the team with 606 receiving yards on 42 catches (14.4 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns in 2014, earning second-team All–Coastal Athletic Association honors. Brown later went on to play seven seasons in the NFL as an undrafted free agent.

The 2014 receiving corps was part of the CAA’s most prolific offense, accounting for more than 70 percent of the team’s receiving yards and 27 of 30 receiving scores.

He helped guide the Dukes to a 9-4 record, including a 6-2 record in the Colonial Athletic Association, and an NCAA FCS playoff appearance. The Dukes finished third in the CAA in 2014 after being predicted to finish eighth.

Fleming coached quarterbacks at Capital University in Ohio in 2011 and began his coaching career at his high school, Decatur High School, in Decatur, Georgia, in 2010.

The Atlanta native was a three-year letterman playing quarterback at Presbyterian College from 2006-10, a Division I FCS school competing in the Big South Conference. He graduated in 2010 with a degree in political science.

He is married to the former Virginia Waldron, who is from Clinton, S.C. They have two children, Charlotte and Brooks.

Parker Fleming’s Coaching Career

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