Oklahoma Sooners reunite with former Bob Stoops disciple as newest member of Brent Venables' coaching staff
The Oklahoma Sooners are bringing a familiar face back to Norman. According to multiple sources, the Sooners are hiring former offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson to join Brent Venables' staff as an analyst. Wilson was hired by Bob Stoops to succeed Mark Mangino as the Sooners' offensive coordinator. He spent 2002 to 2010 with the Sooners, […]
The Oklahoma Sooners are bringing a familiar face back to Norman. According to multiple sources, the Sooners are hiring former offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson to join Brent Venables' staff as an analyst.
Wilson was hired by Bob Stoops to succeed Mark Mangino as the Sooners' offensive coordinator. He spent 2002 to 2010 with the Sooners, serving as a co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 2002 to 2005. From 2006 to 2010, he held the offensive coordinator title and built some of the most productive offenses in college football history.
The 2008 offense under Wilson finished first in the nation in scoring, averaging 51.1 points per game. They scored 50 or more in nine games that season, at one point enjoying a run of six straight games with 58 or more points. That season, quarterback Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns. Bradford also had five touchdowns on the ground that year to lead Oklahoma to the BCS National Championship game.
Wilson took the job serving as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers in 2011, which he held until he was fired after the 2016 season. In every season with the Hoosiers, Wilson's offenses finished in the top three in the Big Ten in total yards. That success stood out, as he was hired by the Ohio State Buckeyes to be their offensive coordinator in 2017.
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With the Buckeyes, Wilson once again guided some of college football's most prolific offenses. Ohio State built a 67-9 record over six seasons, averaging more than 40 points per game in each of those seasons and never finishing outside the top 10 in scoring offense. Wilson helped guide some elite quarterback play with Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and C.J. Stroud for Ohio State.
After the 2022 season, Wilson was hired by the Tulsa Golden Hurricane as their head coach. His tenure ended after just two seasons, with a 7-16 record before he was dismissed with one game left in 2024.
I think this is a solid addition for the Sooners' staff. Wilson has been a factor in some of college football's best offenses in his career. With the NCAA lifting the restriction on analysts' ability to coach on-field and in-game, the importance of analysts has never been greater. Given Wilson's experience as a head coach, offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and tight ends coach, he can be an invaluable resource for the staff to lean on this season.
Wilson can also be a boon to new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. Arbuckle is far from green, but he is relatively young. Having an experienced veteran to lean on at times and help the installation of the offense could be critical for Arbuckle.
