Opposing defender with high praise for Jaguars' Liam Coen

The Jacksonville Jaguars had an incredible season in 2025, and it's largely due to the hiring of general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen. The two notoriously transformed the struggling franchise, with Coen specifically taking the 4-13 team and turning it into a 13-4 playoff contender.

Under Coen, the Jaguars got incredible performances out of its players, who in turn, have openly spoken about how beloved he is in the locker room. It has only been one year, but so far, Coen has transformed Jacksonville into a juggernaut. And other teams have noticed.

In a recent interview with Kay Adams, linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who has spent the last three seasons in Baltimore, talked about Coen, saying he was not getting the respect he deserves.

"I'm gonna throw out a name that I thought — I think he's like the best play caller that I've seen over the last two years," he said. "And that's Liam Coen. I know he doesn't get talked a lot about in Jacksonville because it's a smaller market."

Van Noy continued,

"I mean, they were a nightmare. Everyone was like, holy hell. They were a problem, and you get back to the sideline and you're like, 'We're gonna be in a dogfight, because these are crazy.' And they were just great concepts, great schemes. He was ahead of the curve when it comes to just being detailed. I was really, really impressed with him down in Jacksonville. I think he's an awesome coordinator. I think he's only gonna be more and more successful as he gets comfortable in his head coaching role, as well as calling the plays. Like, he does a phenomenal job."

It's worth noting as well that the Ravens didn't play the Jaguars last season, so Van Noy took notice of Coen's Jaguars' team from afar.

As Van Noy noted, Coen — and the Jaguars as a whole — is not receiving the respect he deserves among analysts. Yet players like Van Noy understand just how good of a coach he is. His 2025 season was , as he is the only to ever take a team with four or fewer wins and turn it into one with 12 or more wins.