Jake Trotter, OU reporter
OU Insider: Kevin Wilson keeps Sooners on the move
Offensive coordinator has been successful in molding schemes to fit players’ strengths
JAKE TROTTER
Comments 
37
Published: July 20, 2009
NORMAN — Before Kevin Wilson called his first play as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in 2006, he faced immediate crisis.
OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson’s ability to adapt his system to his players is a big reason why the Sooners have led the nation in points per game over the last three years. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Multimedia
NewsOK Related Articles
A month before the season opener, Wilson’s starting quarterback was booted off the team, forcing him to move a wide receiver to the position. Later, midway through the same season, his superstar running back went down with a broken collarbone.
But neither of those obstacles, nor having to start a freshman quarterback the following season, have impeded Wilson.
In fact, coach
Bob Stoops recently pointed out, Wilson’s ability to adapt is a big reason why the
Sooners have averaged more points (41.2 per game) than any other team since Wilson began calling plays three years ago.
"Kevin has been so smart in adapting to our personnel,” said Stoops, who along with athletic director
Joe Castiglione rewarded Wilson with a 35-percent raise last month to increase his annual salary to $385,000 and make him one of the highest-paid assistants in the
Big 12. "Kevin has so much experience in so many different ways of moving an offense, and he understands it.”
Instead of molding players to fit his scheme, Wilson has been successful in molding his scheme to fit around the strength of his players.
In 2006, with All-America running back
Adrian Peterson in the backfield, Wilson employed a run-heavy attack while also utilizing quarterback
Paul Thompson’s athleticism by getting him out of the pocket on play-action rollouts.
That year, despite moving Thompson from receiver to quarterback to compensate for the preseason removal of
Rhett Bomar, and losing Peterson for half the season due to injury, the Sooners still ranked No. 20 in the nation in scoring and won the Big 12 title.
In 2007, with record-setting freshman
Sam Bradford under center, Wilson transformed his offense into a drop-back, spread attack that capitalized on Bradford’s strengths and all of OU’s weapons at the other skill positions.
That year, the Sooners were fifth nationally in scoring and won another Big 12 title.
Finally in 2008, with a host of talent and experience back at every position, Wilson coordinated one of the most prolific offenses ever, as OU became the first team in college football history to boast a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and pair of 1,000-yard rushers.
The Sooners also led the nation in scoring and became the first team in the sport’s modern era to put up 60 or more points in five straight games as OU made it all the way to the national title game.
Said Stoops, "In the end, he has adapted to our personnel as well as you could do it.”
Leave a Comment
Sports Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
As a Sooner fan, I remember the 2000 Bedlam game. The reason the Pokes shut the Sooner spread down & almost beat us? They pulled a LB & substituted another DB in his place on the first OU offensive series. They played 5 defensive backs against us all day & it almost got us.
Your complaint is like the people who complained about Jack Welch's compensation package as CEO of General Electric. Now that GE has an incompetent CEO, and both the profitability of the company and the stock price have plummeted, we see that Welch was worth even more than he received. When a teacher, or small team of teachers, can bring in the income of the OU football team, then you will have a point.
It is really a matter of supply and demand. There are hundreds of thousands of people who have the skills to be competent teachers. Only a handful of people have the skills necessary to be a successful offensive coordinator at a FBS school.
By the way, I am a lifelong Kansan and a graduate of KU. I currently have a daughter at KU. In order to comply with Title IX, KU assesses student fees to supplement the Athletic Department. I wish KU's football team were successful enough that the Athletic Department was donating money to support academics, rather than draining funds from academics.
satisfy the recruiting promise's they made to the Bomar's. They got rid of Long and brought
in Wilson, remember. Thompson started the TCU game, which the Sooners lost, got pulled
after a rough first quarter for Bobby's fair haired boy. Paul turned out to be a lot better QB
than he was given a chance to prove, and it started with Stoops crony, C. Long. OU can
score on anybody, their offense is a scoring machine, but Defense is where they fall short.
To have been a supposedly big time defensive Co., Stoops defense is an embarrassment for
a team of what OU is trying to portray. This part of the team is pathetically weak! They will
never be able to play with and beat the big boy's until he gets a defensive minded guy to
co-ordinate it. 68th in Div. 1 on scoring and total defense is Pi** Poor by anybody's standards, and this season will be no different. You think 9-10 starters off the 68th defense
is going to be something to hang your hat on. The press needs to tell the "whole story", not
a sugar coated version.