Tag: Kevin Wilson

Ohio State to promote Keenan Bailey to tight ends coach

Congrats to Bailey on what should be officially announced by Ohio State soon. #GoBucks

The Ohio State football program is set to promote Keenan Bailey to tight ends coach according to an OSU spokesman. The move comes as a result of current tight ends/co-offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson accepting the head coaching position at Tulsa.

Bailey currently holds the title of senior advisor to the head coach and has been with the OSU program in a support role since 2016. He’s held several different positions but most recently worked alongside Wilson with the tight ends this past season.

A native of Pompano Beach, Florida, Bailey is an alumnus of Notre Dame where he was a recruiting analyst before joining OSU. He also spent his first year of college as an undergraduate assistant at Missouri. He has a degree in American Studies.

Word has yet to come on who could replace Wilson as offensive coordinator, but we’ll continue to keep our ears open and eyes peeled for any news on that front.

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Report: Ohio State could be losing one of its coordinators

It’s wait and see if he actually decides to leave. #GoBucks

For most coaches, the ultimate goal is to become a head coach with plenty of success. Buckeye offensive coordinator [autotag]Kevin Wilson[/autotag] has one of those boxes checked off, being a head coach. The success part eluded Wilson. His tenure at [autotag]Indiana[/autotag] didn’t go the way he would have liked.

From 2011 through 2016, Wilson led the Hoosiers to a 26-47 record, with just one bowl appearance that they lost. Just a few months after Wilson and Indiana went separate ways, [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] hired him as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator. Wilson has held the position since, even during a coaching change to [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag]. According to a report by Cayden McFarland of KJRH TV in Tulsa, Wilson is expected to be named Tulsa’s next head coach.

McFarland expects a formal announcement on Tuesday, so we will wait to see if his report is factual. If it is true, it throws a wrench into Ohio State’s preparation for [autotag]Georgia[/autotag] in the [autotag]College Football Playoff [/autotag] semifinals. We will not know if Wilson will stay until the season is over or leave to get his potential new job started.

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Need for speed: How Oklahoma’s renewed focused on tempo will be great for the Sooners

Under Jeff Lebby, the Oklahoma Sooners are bringing back uptempo offense.

Speed kills. It’s an old adage in sports. Especially in the world of football.  The impact that speed can have on a game is almost unquantifiable at times. For the Oklahoma Sooners, it’s not just about the players being fast themselves, it’s about operating their offense fast and wearing down opponents.

Oklahoma offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] has made a name for himself over the last several years thanks productivity and explosive nature of his offenses. The uptempo offense Lebby ran last season in Oxford for the Ole Miss Rebels finished No. 6 in the nation, averaging 492.5 yards per game in 2021. He experienced similar results in Orlando while at UCF, where now Sooners starting quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] first started in college.

Lebby’s offenses have a few foundational aspects to them and one of them is simply the rate at which they operate play-to-play. The week six matchup between Lebby’s Rebels and [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag]’s Tennessee Volunteers featured the two fastest teams in the Power Five in 2021. They were the top two teams in the country in plays per minute with the Rebels averaging 2.89 plays per minute in 2021.

On the season, they’d average 78.2 plays per game, No. 2 in the nation. That volume of plays at that type of breakneck pace will wear down any defense at any level. It’s just not possible for teams to perform well defensively if they don’t have the depth and the execution required to stop the offense. And those two areas are exactly what playing uptempo is trying to prey upon.

“The constant is the tempo,” Lebby said in his recent media appearance. “We’re going to play incredibly fast. We’re going to push the tempo. We’re going to dictate how the game is played. That’s where it starts for us.”

That’s why the Sooners will up the ante so to speak from Lincoln Riley’s more methodical, yet still highly productive offenses. It’s all about being the one in control and being proactive against defenses instead of calling games in reaction mode.

While the tempo will remain a focal point, other aspects of his offense will continue to evolve from the previous stops.

And for the Sooners, that may be okay. At times, former head coach and play-caller [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] struggled with getting the ball to his best players Whether that was getting [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] more touches or running the ball more with Kennedy Brooks. Far too many times it seemed he overcomplicated things by not letting his best players touch the ball more.

One reason Lebby’s offenses have thrived is that they focus on getting their best offensive players the ball as much as they can. Couple that with the tempo at which he wants to play at, it isn’t a stretch to think the Oklahoma offense can be better than it was the last two seasons under Lincoln Riley.

Lebby expects the Sooners to be ready physically and mentally for the grind of the up-tempo life by day 15 of spring ball. A part of that will also be on the shoulders of [autotag]Jerry Schmidt[/autotag], who returned to Oklahoma after spending the last four years at Texas A&M as their director of Strength and Conditioning. Schmidt physically and mentally prepared the up-tempo Sooners of the Kevin Wilson and [autotag]Sam Bradford[/autotag] and will be tasked with doing it again under Jeff Lebby.

Sooners fans will get their first look at the new-look offense during the Oklahoma spring game on April 23rd.

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WATCH: Ryan Day, Kevin Wilson, and Kerry Coombs wrap up spring game for Ohio State

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day as well as assistants Kerry Coombs and Kevin Wilson met with the media today to wrap up the spring.

After putting spring ball on the shelf last year, Ohio State football was able to muscle through this year’s version and at least find some things out about itself prior to summer workouts and fall camp. That’s already light years ahead of where things stood last season. And it’s a good thing too because the Buckeyes are replacing a quarterback, its entire linebacking corps, and looking to retool on the backend of the defense as well.

It all culminated with the annual LiFESports spring game last weekend where we got to see guys like Jack Sawyer, numerous wide receivers, and others shine in front of some actual fans from the general public for the first time in nearly a year and a half.

To wrap it all up, head coach Ryan Day and assistants Kerry Coombs and Kevin Wilson met with the media on Friday to put a neat little bow on things as we now go head into a bit of a quiet period (relatively speaking) until fall camp resumes.

In case you missed anything Day and the other coaches said, you can catch all of his comments by clicking on the below that was shared to the Ohio State Buckeyes Twitter account. It’ll take you over to OhioStateBuckeyes.com where you can watch the presser in its entirety.

As a primer, the coaches discuss when they expect to name a starting quarterback, the development of the defensive backs, how the offense will change with a new quarterback, and more.

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Son of Ohio State Football coach signs to play for Buckeyes

Center Toby Wilson, son of Ohio State assistant Kevin Wilson, has committed to the Buckeyes as a preferred walk-on for the 2021 class.

Not every recruit that signs with the Ohio State football team makes a big splash. Most won’t know the name Toby Wilson, but this one has some strong ties to the university.

You may recognize the last name Wilson… as in Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson. Toby is Kevin’s son and announced via Twitter that he would be joining the Buckeyes in 2021.

Wilson played his high school ball just north of Columbus at Olentangy High School where he had a handful of offers. Army and Air Force were in the mix as well as some MAC and Ivy League schools. But ultimately, Wilson chose to stay close to home and join his dad and Ohio State as a preferred walk-on.

Wilson is rated as the No. 25 center in the country. And while that won’t grab anyone’s attention, coaches kids usually make up for a lack of physical attributes with a keen knowledge of the game and a heavy dose of heart and desire.

Even if he doesn’t make an impact on Saturday afternoons, he’ll for sure be pushing guys ahead of him to be their best.

Ohio State currently has the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation behind, yes — Alabama.

Fab Four: Selecting Ohio State football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

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WATCH: Ohio State offense Sugar Bowl media availability, Kevin Wilson and players

Ohio State’s Kevin Wilson, players Luke Farrell, Wyatt Davis, Trey Sermon, Josh Meyers, Garrett Wilson speak at Sugar Bowl media session.

Ohio State is in New Orleans preparing to face off for the third time in five years against the Clemson Tigers. The last couple have been less than ideal, but the Buckeyes have a chance to get a little bit of redemption from how things ended in last year’s Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal.

Several OSU players and coaches were made available Monday for a Sugar Bowl media session, and there were a lot of interesting nuggets and quotes on both sides of the aisle between Clemson and Ohio State.

We heard plenty from Justin Fields, but also got to hear from tight end Luke Farrell, Wyatt Davis, Trey Sermon, Josh Myers, and Garrett Wilson on the offensive side of the ball. We even heard from offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson as he dropped by.

We have each of the players’ comments in audio/video, and Kevin Wilson’s remarks in video, as well as the full transcript for him. First up are some of the offensive players.

NEXT … Luke Farrell and Wyatt Davis

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Ohio Sate offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson claps back at Dabo Swinney’s continued criticism of the Buckeyes’ schedule

OSU assistant Kevin Wilson had a troll response to the continued criticism of Ohio State football’s schedule by Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is fixated on Ohio State’s six-game schedule as if he’s taken up arms for the rest of college football, or at least the sunbelt where sweet tea flows in the rivers and grits grow on trees. Nevermind you that there’s a global pandemic ravaging the world that contributed to it all, something beyond the control of the players and coaches.

He has on three occasions (that we know of), curiously taken a swipe at the Buckeyes’ schedule as though he himself came down off of Mount Olympus himself to judge those that haven’t gone through the “grind” of an ACC schedule.

And now, at least one Ohio State coach has decided to fire back a little on social media. Seeing the latest swipe Swinney took, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson had a sly response just to put in perspective how tough he believes Clemson’s schedule was.

To catch you up — and I’m paraphrasing — Swinney said preparation for the Buckeyes would be easier this time around because there are only six games to look at, noting that the Buckeyes will need to look at eleven games.

Undaunted, Wilson trolled back at his comments by poking fun at Clemson’s game against The Citadel.

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Well played Wilson. Look, we get it Dabo, you’re for some reason fixated on a team doing its best to try and play through a global pandemic instead of giving the team credit for battling through so many things that worked against it just to even have a season.

What else would have had Ohio State do?

Just keep on pushing the bulletin board material because, frankly, the Buckeyes could use the extra motivation as they prepare to play a team that should probably win the game in the Sugar Bowl with the extra practice and game time Clemson has received.

If you’re a firm believer that there’s no substitute for game action when it comes to getting better which most coaches do, then playing only six games could just as easily be a disadvantage as it is an advantage.

But, that doesn’t fit the narrative, now does it?

Scouting Clemson ahead of the matchup with Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl

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Justin Fields and Ryan Day connecting on a different level

Ryan Day says when he and Kevin Wilson sends in the play call, Justin Fields already knows what they’re thinking.

With just over a week away before the Ohio State Football team hits the gridiron to begin the 2020 season, Big Ten opponents have reason to be even more concerned with the Buckeye juggernaut: Ryan Day says he and Heisman hopeful Justin Fields are really starting to click.

When the quarterback, head coach, and offensive coordinator are all on the same page, big things can happen. When the quarterback, as Coach Day puts it “knows what I’m thinking” it can take your game plan to a whole new level.

“We’re getting to the point where he hears a call, he knows what I’m thinking, he knows what Kevin Wilson’s thinking,” Day said on a Zoom call with reporters. “That’s really important. That’s when you can take it to the next level.”

This news should have Big Ten opponents quaking in their cleats. Justin Fields is already thought to be one of the best players in the country, a possible Heisman contender, and a potential top-five NFL draft pick.

In his first year in Columbus, Buckeye fans know well the impact Fields made after losing record-setting Dwayne Haskins to the NFL as a first-rounder. Fields would throw for 3,273 yards and 41 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. He would also run for another 484 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

Fields certainly seemed to be in full command of the offense in 2019 and now if he has a grasp on what Day and Wilson are thinking ahead of time, some special things look to be on the horizon in 2020. Not only for Fields, but the entire Ohio State football team.

 

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Ohio State can’t go wrong with Master Teague or Trey Sermon

The Buckeyes have a decision they don’t have to make at running back. Trey Sermon and Master Teague are a wealth of riches for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson says Master Teague and Trey Sermon will have a 50/50 split at running back, but either way, the Buckeyes are in a great spot. When Teague went down with his Achilles injury there were some question of whether he be ready for 2020. Demario McCall, Marcus Crowley, and the rest were possibly going to fight it out for the starting spot. Then transfers happened and that all changed.

Before the conversation picked up steam, Sermon’s name popped up in the transfer portal, and the next thing anyone knew, he was headed to Columbus. Then, Master Teague went Master Teague on everyone and worked so hard to get ahead of schedule with his rehab. And the Buckeyes, so to speak, were off to the races.

Everyone was excited to see what the entire running back corps would look like in spring ball, then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Surely we would see more at the end of summer, but that was not to be either. So Buckeye Nation waited with bated breath to see if there would even be a season. The Big Ten finally decided there would in fact be a season, and practices ramped up significantly.

And now here we are with Teague and Sermon.

Both offer things a little different, and both it sounds like both could play huge roles on offense. Teague is more of the traditional style running back. He is compact, has great vision, pass blocks, and has a lower center of gravity. Sermon is more of the pass-catching, upright style running back we tend to see in the Big 12.

Teague has the experience in this offense, so he might have a leg up. However, Sermon has looked so good it would be hard keeping him off the field, so perhaps 50/50 is indeed closer to the truth. It sounds like we’re going to see a rotation to best utilize both backs’ skill sets according to the situation.

There are injury concerns for both, but if one has to sit out, the Buckeyes won’t lose a ton in the running game. Having both available creates an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses. Add what they can do running the ball in combination with a passing game that’s going to be lights out, and it’s pick your poison.

So while we start full-contact practice on Wednesday, keep an eye on the running backs. We know there will probably not be a clear-cut starter right away, or perhaps all season, and that is totally okay. Sermon and Teague are a wealth of riches any coach would love to have.

 

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WATCH: Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, tight ends speak to media

Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and three Ohio State tight ends took time to speak to the media on a Zoom call last week.

In the world of a pandemic, most of the media sessions are being done via Zoom calls with media members. The latest included availability from Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and tight ends Luke Farrell, Jake Hausmann, and Jeremy Ruckert.

They had plenty to say and took time to answer a myriad of questions from reporters that were on the call. In case you missed anything that was said, we’ve got it for you here thanks to the Ohio State Buckeyes Twitter account as well as on OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

Click on the below and listen to comments about Justin Fields development and switch to a vegan diet, how the tailback carries will be divided, the role the tight ends will play in 2020, and much more.

Ohio State is set to kick off the season on October 24 against Nebraska. Let the countdown continue.

 

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