SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – While Ohio State is already set to lose one coordinator to a head coaching job this offseason, the Buckeyes could have lost another.
Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson confirmed Tuesday that he was a candidate for the head coaching job at Colorado State, which ultimately went to Steve Addazio. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer assisted Colorado State in its coaching search, while Wilson also has a longstanding relationship with Colorado State athletic director Joe Parker dating back to when Wilson was an assistant coach and Parker worked in the athletic administration at Oklahoma.
Wilson, who is in his third season with the Buckeyes, said he was interested in the job but also isn’t in any rush to leave Ohio State.
“If it’s meant to be, maybe you get that opportunity, but I’m not living my life to get that opportunity right now,” Wilson said during an interview session at the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday. “It’s coaching these kids, at a great place and trying to win as many games and keep pushing this program forward to greatness.”
Wilson said he thought he was “building a strong program” during his six years at Indiana before he was let go, so he has desire to be a head coach again. He said he hasn’t been aggressively pursuing those jobs, though, instead keeping his focus on doing his job with the Buckeyes to the best of his ability. He’s enjoyed his first season working for new Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, and as of now, he expects to be back with the Buckeyes for the 2020 season.
“I just always felt you do your job the best you can, and if opportunities are meant to be, the older I’ve gotten, it’s more about making sure, raising your family where it needs to be raised, and that’s kinda almost done,” said Wilson, who is 58 years old and has five children. “You’re always still a parent raising your kids and there for them, but now it’s impacting lives, coaching kids and hopefully impacting a program. So got a great relationship with Coach Day, love the players we’re with and so I’m blessed to have a great job and we’ve got a tremendous challenge this week (against Clemson). So we’re looking forward to that.”
So far, Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley is the only assistant coach on Day's staff set to leave after the season, though multiple reports have indicated that passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich is a candidate for the offensive coordinator job at Texas. Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford, who will not meet with reporters until Ohio State's full-team Fiesta Bowl media day on Thursday, was also reportedly a candidate for the head coaching job at Colorado State.
