COLUMBUS, Ohio — Kevin Wilson’s offensive reputation alone wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on Urban Meyer’s coaching staff at Ohio State.
Despite the longstanding admiration between the two respected power-spread gurus, Meyer and his bosses had to vet the hire before bringing Wilson on board as offensive coordinator. Wilson had resigned as Indiana’s coach amid allegations of player mistreatment in December.
Information came back clear for the Buckeyes, paving the way for Meyer to revamp an attack that was surprisingly shut out in the College Football Playoff after Wilson had rebuilt the Hoosiers into one of the Big Ten’s most potent offenses.
“The first part [with the vetting], that was immediate,” Meyer said Wednesday in his first news conference since the season ended. “I went to [athletic director] Gene Smith, and Gene Smith talked to [school president Dr. Michael] Drake. Like anything, there are stories that get thrown out there. I talked to Kevin myself at great length, I talked to others that knew him over there. Gene Smith did as well.
“I already knew the guy, but I wanted to hear what went on, whether it was a disgruntled player or whether it was an issue with a trainer or an issue with something else. I just needed to find out, and so did my bosses. It was rather quick, and it came back that everything was good. There were some misunderstandings, philosophical differences, which I understand that. I wanted to know what they were, and we proceeded.”
Wilson has been accused of mistreatment of players, with one former player’s father telling ESPN that his son was rushed back from a concussion, causing symptoms to intensify. Indiana athletic director Kevin Glass accepted Wilson’s resignation, citing those same “philosophical differences” Meyer mentioned on national signing day. But Glass added there were no compliance issues involved in the decision.
So with no looming issues for Wilson at Indiana, Meyer was given the green light to hire him. And now Wilson can turn his attention to retooling an Ohio State offense that could use a shake-up, particularly with a passing attack that did not find consistency last season and was almost nonexistent in the blowout loss to Clemson.
“I thought they had done a phenomenal job there, and we didn’t want to play Indiana, I know that,” Meyer said. “I’ve known Coach Wilson since Northwestern days and just have great respect for him.
“I want to Bahis Siteleri be perfectly clear: This will be the Ohio State offense. But we’re going to enhance it and make it better. … We did not play well in the final game, obviously. That’s an understatement. But this team is going at it with the intent that will not happen again.”
And after passing a detailed background check, Wilson will be in the middle of that effort moving forward with the Buckeyes.
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