Even by college football coaching standards, Kevin Wilson’s had a busy month.
The sixth-year Ohio State assistant accepted the head coaching vacancy at Tulsa on Dec. 5. However, with a rather important game still looming for the Buckeyes, it’s not as though Wilson could entirely abandon post. He made his desire to win a first-ever national championship plain before the season, and with that opportunity still on the table, he felt “obligated” to see the job through.
Of course, Wilson hasn’t been able to spend all his time with the Buckeyes, either. Wilson’s had to split time between the two programs while working overtime for the past several weeks, and Ryan Day even joked his co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach has been “working 24 hours a day” since the first week of December.
But just how much of that split has been spent on Ohio State? Wilson said recruiting periods allowed him to focus on responsibilities at Tulsa, and he has continued to work for his new job in the late evening since that time ended. For the most part, though, his attention has been on preparing the Buckeyes for the Peach Bowl.
“I've been here since last Thursday. So now I'm pushing about 12 days directly with the team all the time,” Wilson said Tuesday during interviews in Atlanta. “And really what's different from years ago is when there's a coaching change, you have to recruit your team so everybody doesn't jump on the portal. So that was the issue was just trying to keep the guys on board. But I'm very compartmentalized. These guys know this. When I'm in practice, it's all practice and it's full throttle. When we're in meetings, it's all meetings.
“There's probably 70% of the time is spent on this bowl game, and the extra time has been late at night, last night about 9:30. We started this morning at 7:00 and got rolling. About 9:30 last night, I actually got to a couple of things revolving around next year's job. Everything is with these guys.”
Wilson’s fingerprints will still be all over Ohio State’s game plan for Saturday. He said Day was “adamant” that the Buckeye coaching staff get ahead on game planning for the Georgia matchup, which didn’t allow Wilson to put his Ohio State obligations on the back burner. With game week underway, Wilson said the Buckeyes are “polishing” their game plan for about the third time.
I am in this position because of what these guys have done and the obligation. I said back in the preseason one of our goals was to get in this game and be a part of this. And we want to have success in this game."– Kevin Wilson
Wilson even distinguished between the preparation for a regular bowl game and what is required for a playoff matchup with the nation’s No. 1 team. That means even while pulling double duty, Wilson’s work may be even more detailed this year than last.
“This is not bowl week. This is playoff week. But we're very much, I think, ahead,” Wilson said. “As the players would tell you with the game plan, what's going on, playing a challenging team with a lot of great athletes and a lot of stress they bring in their structure. But we've worked really hard to be ahead and give our kids a chance to go out and be aggressive and play well Saturday night.”
The Buckeyes themselves didn’t refute anything Wilson said. C.J. Stroud noted there’s been no confusion with Wilson’s role since taking over as head coach at Tulsa and that he’s still been there for Stroud when he needs anything.
“It's no change because Coach Wilson has been doing the same thing I've been doing since I've been in school. They always find a clean game plan for us,” Stroud said Tuesday. “That's for the outside world to think that's confusing. Coach Wilson has been there every time I ask for him or need him. There's no confusion. That's probably for you guys. We've been doing the same things we've been doing. But yeah, he does a great job. And I think he'll do a great job, and I tell him that. He has that aura of a head coach, so I'm excited for him to go up there and do his thing.”
Wilson’s relationship with Paris Johnson Jr. may be even deeper, given his experience helping tailor the Buckeye run game and blocking scheme and his history with Johnson’s family. Johnson said if anything, Wilson’s excitement about the next opportunity has only made him more enthusiastic about closing his final chapter at Ohio State the right way.
“Coach Wilson has been a friend of the family since before I was born. He coached my dad at Miami of Ohio. So I think for him, some people can say, ‘How could you leave Ohio State?’ But for me, I have the perspective of also just wanting to see people win,” Johnson said Tuesday. “And I want people to be happy and be able to continue to do what wakes them up in the morning. And I think that's a great opportunity for him and excited for him with that. And I think when he took the job down there, and he came back to practice, you could just see the smile and the juice he had to leave it all out there because this is his final run with Ohio State. So just to leave it all out there, and I think it's been great energy.”
Chip Trayanum said Wilson has put his “best foot forward” in game prep and that the Buckeye coaches have put “everything into the bag” when it comes to beating Georgia this weekend.
And as difficult a challenge as that will be, Wilson still has a deeply vested interest in doing so.
“Coach Day's comment is I am in this position because of what these guys have done and the obligation. I said back in the preseason one of our goals was to get in this game and be a part of this. And we want to have success in this game,” Wilson said. “It's not been hard. It's been a lot of energy. And the total focus when it's been time to work would be, so these guys have a chance to play well against a tremendous Georgia defense, and we're ready to roll.”
