Kevin Wilson has a lofty goal for the 2018 season – for Ohio State’s offense to score enough points to win every game it plays – and he’s not going to let his ego, or concerns about how his role compares to the rest of the Buckeyes’ coaching staff, get in the way.
When Ohio State promoted Ryan Day to offensive coordinator in January, many people – including Wilson’s own daughter – wondered what that meant for Wilson, who also holds the title of offensive coordinator, and his role in leading the Buckeyes offense.
Wilson himself, however, says he isn’t worrying about that, but about doing his part to help Ohio State’s offense continue to improve.
"My daughter called and thought I got fired," Wilson said, referencing when Day received his promotion. "Seriously, she had a panic attack for a second. I go, 'We’re good.' But we got to be better."
Wilson’s first season as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, which was also Day’s first season on staff (as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach), was largely successful. The Buckeyes led the Big Ten in total offense (506 yards per game) and scoring offense (41.1 points per game) en route to winning a conference championship and the Cotton Bowl and finishing the season with a 12-2 record. However, those two losses – a 31-16 loss to Oklahoma and a 55-24 defeat at Iowa – kept the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff, and Wilson pointed the finger of blame on himself and his unit for their failure to accomplish that goal.
"To me, it was a very, very good offense," Wilson said. "We got a Big Ten championship, don’t minimize that. We got a Cotton Bowl championship. Had some significant wins. Also came up short, and when you come up short, you can sit and point fingers. I always took it from where I was in years past: If we come up short, we didn’t score enough points. So at the end of the day, as good as we were – and there’s a lot of good stats – we didn’t score enough to be as great as we wanted to be, and that’s our goal this year is to keep pushing and find that little bit more to find a few more points and to find a way, without being arrogant, to nudge and even get another win or two if it’s possible."
Going into his second year at Ohio State, Wilson says he feels a lot more comfortable than he did going into last year, because he now has familiarity with the Buckeyes’ players and his fellow coaches. In order for the Buckeyes offense to continue to get better, though, Wilson says everybody must be on the same page, and that includes the coaching staff – which means he can’t allow himself to feel slighted by Day being promoted to his level (and making a higher salary).
"At the end, it’s about how you work as a group. It’s kind of how we’ve always done it offensively, whether it be here last year, previously at every stop I’ve been," Wilson said. "But we’re kind of working kind of the way we’ve worked, and nothing’s really changed."
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has reiterated on several occasions since Day’s promotion that he does not expect the dynamic of Ohio State’s offensive coaching staff to change significantly from last year. The Buckeyes’ staff of full-time offensive assistant coaches remains intact from last season, with Day still coaching quarterbacks, Tony Alford coaching running backs, Zach Smith coaching wide receivers, Wilson coaching tight ends and Greg Studrawa coaching the offensive line. Meyer, with his offensive coaching background, will continue to play a major role in the Buckeyes’ offensive game planning and play calling.
Day already worked collaboratively with Meyer and Wilson on offensive play calling last year, and led the way on coordinating the Buckeyes’ passing game plan along with Meyer and Smith, while Wilson and Studrawa lead the way in coordinating the running game plan. Wilson says he expects that arrangement to continue this season.
“At the end, it’s about how you work as a group. It’s kind of how we’ve always done it offensively, whether it be here last year, previously at every stop I’ve been.”– Kevin Wilson
Ever since his arrival at Ohio State last year – which came after a controversial end to his tenure as Indiana’s head coach in December 2016 – Wilson has insisted that his focus is on doing his job and helping put Ohio State’s offensive players in position to have as much success as possible, even when the Buckeyes opened last season at Indiana.
While some coaches in Wilson’s shoes might feel disrespected by the loss of hierarchy to a less experienced coach after just one season (and a season that was considered to be successful), Wilson doesn’t because he knows Meyer’s decision to promote Day was only made the best intentions for his team.
"We talked to Coach (Meyer) briefly about it, and I said, 'Hey, I get it,'" Wilson said. "I’ve been there (as a head coach) where you’re doing things you can that’s best for the team. And Coach Meyer, I know every decision Coach Meyer makes is what he feels is ultimately best for the team. I know it’s my job to make sure I’m doing everything I can to give him my best to help this team win those games."
Time will tell whether Ohio State’s offense, with a new starting quarterback and replacing two key players from last season’s offensive line, can actually be better in 2018 than it was in 2017. But Wilson has no doubt that he and the rest of the coaching staff will collectively give their best effort to try to make that happen.
"Got to find a way to put those guys together week after week after week to try to be the best we can – and maybe try to be the best in college football – but first we got to be the best we can," Wilson said. "And it starts with a staff that understands how to work together. And that’s where you got to check the egos, there ain’t no titles, but it’s everybody working together for the common good, at a great place, to try to win a game and try to win a championship and maybe be good enough to try to get them all."
