L’Damian Washington has been named Kentucky’s new wide receivers coach, Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops announced Tuesday.
Washington, 33, replaces former wide receivers coach Daikiel Shorts, who left this offseason to join the Nebraska staff.
“We are very excited to add L’Damian to our team,” Stoops said. “I’ve known him for a few years when he coached my nephew, Drake Stoops, at Oklahoma. So I got some really good information about his coaching style. He is young, energetic and can relate to our players. He has an incredible story of perseverance and I think he will be a great addition to our team.
Washington spent the last two seasons at South Florida as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator under head coach Alex Golesh.
“I am very proud to join the Big Blue Nation,” Washington said. “I have known the Stoops family for some time and to be able to coach under one of the best head coaches in the country, Mark Stoops, is an honor. I’m also excited to work with (offensive coordinator) Bush Hamdan again. Bush is one of the main reasons I got into coaching and he has 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 when he played at Missouri and we have a lot of young talent coming back, like Hardley Gilmore, Rico Crowder, Fred Farrier and others. It’s an exciting time to be a Wildcat.
Before his time at USF, Washington made stops at Oklahoma, Southern University (La.) and Missouri, where he first met Hamdan.
As a player at Mizzou from 2009 to 2013, Washington caught 100 passes for 1,735 yards and 15 touchdowns, with most of his production coming as a starter in his final two seasons. As a student-athlete, the Louisiana native gained national attention, as he lost both parents when he was 15 years old. Today, he often shares his story and works as a motivational speaker.
Washington signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Over the next two years, he spent time with seven NFL teams before playing in the CFL and later the XFL.
