The University of Texas at San Antonio football program formally introduced former LSU running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Frank Wilson as its next head coach at news conference on Friday evening.
No words can describe my appreciation for LSU, but the next chapter begins NOW. Dreams do come true. pic.twitter.com/GqijfhNkmX
— Frank Wilson (@LSUCoachWilson) January 15, 2016
Wilson spent the last six season with the Tigers, hauling in five different recruiting class that ranked in the top 10. He’s coached a handful of now-NFL running backs, including Jeremy Hill, Spencer Ware and Alfred Blue.
With the Roadrunner football program officially beginning in 2011, Wilson takes over for Larry Coker, who resigned in January after compiling a 26-32 overall record in San Antonio.
“To have an opportunity to be the first to win a conference championship at [UTSA] in football,” Wilson said at the press conference. “To have an opportunity to be the first to win a bowl game. All of those things appeal to this university. So, when the opportunity presented itself, I could not be more excited about it. I’m so really, really thrilled about UTSA, the future and what we can do here.”
The LSU football program officially confirmed the news of his departure via a statement from LSU coach Les Miles on Friday morning. In the statement, Miles commended Wilson for his service to the Tigers and wished him well.
“It stands to reason that with the success that we have had here at LSU, our coaches are going to get these types of opportunities,” Miles said in the statement. “Frank has been a big part of what we’ve accomplished at LSU both on and off the field. He’s ready to be a head coach. He’s worked long and hard for this opportunity and I couldn’t be happier for Frank and his family. He’s going to do a great job at Texas-San Antonio. We are going to miss him.”
The New Orleans native and graduate of Nicholls State was critical in the signing of sophomore running back Leonard Fournette and sophomore receiver Malachi Dupre as part of the 2014 signing class, which ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Fournette finished the 2015 season as the nation’s leader in rushing yards per game, setting the school record for rushing yards in a season and rushing touchdowns in a season.
The 2016 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 1 by 247Sports with four players already enrolled on campus.
LSU’s director of player personnel Austin Thomas and current LSU players shared their support for Wilson via Twitter after the news broke Thursday night.
Congrats to my brother @LSUCoachWilson for being named @UTSAFTBL HC. Overjoyed for you that you have a chance to fulfill your dream as a HC.
— Austin Thomas (@AustinThomasLSU) January 15, 2016
@LSUCoachWilson you will be greatly missed my man✊🏾💯 we will never have another you!
— 5⃣ (@DhaSickest) January 15, 2016
Forever my coach @LSUCoachWilson
— 7⃣ (@_fournette) January 15, 2016
Congrats to @LSUCoachWilson Will make a great Head Coach !
— DJ Chark (@DJChark82) January 15, 2016
So excited for @LSUCoachWilson well deserved. Will make a great head coach. Hate to lose him tho!
— Brandon Harris (@bharrisqb1) January 15, 2016
Wilson echoed the sentiments of some of his former recruits, elaborating on the bond he’s built with LSU players he’s coached.
“They’re near and dear to me because it’s that kinship piece we talked about,” Wilson said. “That it’s bigger than football, the sport. That we sincerely nurture them to be better men. We model for them what it is to be a good husband – what it is to be good father. When you have that type of impact in a young man’s life, they cling to you, and it becomes more than just football. It’s a tangible that they just can’t let loose easily.
“They were super excited for me. It was an emotional time but yet tears of joy because they all supported me coming here.”
Wilson said he plans to meet with current UTSA players and coaches as early as tomorrow, wanting to get started as soon as possible. Although he said it’s still in the early stages, he said he prefers a spread attack on offense.
But Wilson will keep some of the core principles he learned from Miles and colleagues at LSU, especially when it comes to building a winning program.
“The year I got [to LSU], they had not come off a great season, and I learned a lot of things,” Wilson said. “I learned a lot of things from Les Miles – and from that program and that organization – of how to do things the right way. How to take your time and to assess things and to really look at the long-term view, a holistic view of where you want your program to be. And to rebuild it yet again from the bottom up.
“So, what I got from my experience there is an ability to identify prospective student athletes that fit what we were trying to do at that university and then allow it to come to fruition. As I take on this task here, it’s the same thing – to identify the personnel, the players, the people or the coaches that fit what we’re trying to do and allow it to come to fruition.”
