After reviving his coaching career as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, Kevin Wilson was hired as Tulsa’s head coach following the 2022 season.
But the former Indiana head coach didn’t make it to the end of his second season with the Golden Hurricanes, with The Athletic’s Chris Vannini and Sam Khan Jr. reporting that Tulsa has fired Wilson.
The 63-year-old’s firing comes one day after the Golden Hurricanes suffered a 63-30 loss to USF. The defeat dropped the Golden Hurricanes to 3-8 on the season and 7-16 in their two seasons since hiring Wilson.
A native of North Carolina and former Tar Heels offensive lineman, Wilson first gained prominence in coaching circles as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops in the 2000s. He landed his first head coaching gig in 2011 when he was hired as Indiana’s head coach.
While he only amassed a 26-47 records over the course of six seasons with the Hoosiers, the 2008 Broyles Award winner did lead Indiana to bowl appearances in 2015 and 2016 — the program’s first since the 2007 season. His time in Bloomington, however, came to an unceremonious end as he resigned following multiple investigations into the alleged mistreatment of players.
Despite his controversial exit, Wilson landed at Ohio State, where he served as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator and tight ends coach from 2017-2022. In that span, he coached three future first-round quarterbacks including Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud.
Wilson is the third former Ohio State assistant to be fired from a head coaching position in the American Athletic Conference this season. Earlier this week, Temple fired former Buckeyes running backs coach Stan Drayton, while Florida Atlantic fired former OSU offensive coordinator Tom Herman.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Tulsa wide receivers coach — and former North Carolina wide receiver — Ryan Switzer will serve as the Golden Hurricanes’ interim head coach.
Tulsa will finish its 2024 season on Saturday, Nov. 30, when the Golden Hurricanes face FAU.
