By LARRY VAUGHT

Darin Hinshaw didn’t know a lot about the Kentucky football program before he joined coach Mark Stoops’ staff but during coaching stops at Middle Tennessee, Tennessee and Cincinnati he had formed certain perceptions about the UK program.

That’s why he wasn’t overly thrilled when Cincinnati offensive coordinator Eddie Gran told him that Stoops wanted him to join the UK program and he would like to have Hinshaw come with him if he made the move.

“When Eddie brought that to my attention, I went, ‘Wait a minute. It’s Kentucky. If they can win six games they are going to be lucky. We are going to the SEC, Eddie. Every week will be a war,’” Hinshaw, UK’s co-offensive coordinator, said. “That was my perception. 

“Then I talked to Mark and we saw what money had been spent on football. I was lucky to come in at the right time. Mark sold us on believing we would be a really good team and it has happened. I am so glad that I came and now I am going into my fourth year.”

Hinshaw had lost his job at Tennessee and was set to go to Arkansas when he decided to call Gran, who had just gotten the job as offensive coordinator at Cincinnati under head coach Tommy Tuberville, to ask him what kind of offense he was going to us. 

“He said he was not sure and I told him I was looking for a job and would like to present the offense we ran at Tennessee and also see what you want to do,” Hinshaw said. “I wanted to be part of something special and build an offense rather than just a quarterback coach or receivers coach at SEC. I was very blessed to get hired.”

The two have now been together for seven years and Hinshaw says they are “very close” on and off the field.

Hinshaw said he’s glad Stoops and his staff not only started recruiting heavily in Kentucky but have continued to do so

“When I was at Cincinnati you never used to see Kentucky up north. They always recruited the South,” Hinshaw said. “Mark’s impact recruiting Ohio has been terrific and is only going to keep getting better the more we can win.”