Frank Wilson returning to LSU to join Brian Kelly's staff
Brian Kelly is bringing back a familiar name to LSU fans.
Frank Wilson will return to Baton Rouge to be part of Kelly's new staff, LSU confirmed early Tuesday afternoon.
"The opportunity to return home to LSU and join Coach Kelly’s staff was one my family and I simply could not pass up," said Wilson. "I could not be more excited to return to Baton Rouge and do whatever I can to help the Tigers consistently compete for and win championships.”
“Frank Wilson has a proven track record of identifying, recruiting, and developing elite student-athletes everywhere he has been,” Kelly said. “No one knows the recruiting landscape in Louisiana better than Frank, and his experience and character will be tremendous resources for our staff and student-athletes. His impact on our staff at LSU will be immediate and immense. We are thrilled he is returning home to ensure that we continue to sign the best student-athletes in Louisiana and throughout the country.”
Wilson resigned from his head coaching position at McNeese State on Tuesday right before the news broke about him returning to LSU.
The New Orleans native has been the head coach of the Cowboys since early 2020. He spent four seasons as the head coach at UTSA before arriving on the McNeese campus.
Wilson, who is considered one of the best recruiters in the country, served a six-year stint as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at LSU from 2010-15, where he also served as associate head coach for his final four seasons with the Tigers. He also has been an assistant coach at Tennessee (2009), Southern Miss (2008) and Mississippi (2005-07).
While at LSU, he was recognized as the nation’s top assistant coach at his position in 2011. Wilson also was named the 2011 Recruiter of the Year by Rivals.com, the 2014 NFL.com Top Recruiter in College Football and the 2015 Scout.com SEC Recruiter of the Year.
As the recruiting coordinator at LSU, Wilson led the Tigers to back-to-back top-five recruiting classes in 2014-15 among five total groups that ranked among the top 10 nationally. He served as the lead recruiter for a long list of prominent players, including Odell Beckham Jr., La’el Collins, Jeremy Hill, Jarvis Landry, Tyrann Mathieu, Zach Mettenberger and the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in 2014 in Leonard Fournette, a 2014 Freshman All-SEC honoree and consensus first team All-American a year later.
Overall, Wilson has coached or recruited 40 individuals who have made it to the NFL. That list includes Marcus Davenport, Jordan Moore, Kevin Strong Jr., Dalton Sturm, Josiah Tauaefa and Jarveon Williams from UTSA, Beckham Jr., Collins, Fournette, Hill, Landry, Mathieu and Mettenberger along with Lamin Barrow, Kendell Beckwith, Alfred Blue, Will Clapp, Malachi Dupre, Ego Ferguson, Russell Gage, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Derrius Guice, Jerald Hawkins, Kenny Hilliard, Anthony Johnson, Deion Jones, Arden Key, Kendrick Lewis, Terrance Magee, Ronald Martin, Dexter McCluster, Denarius Moore, Eric Reid, Stevan Ridley, Duke Riley, Trai Turner, Mike Wallace, Spencer Ware and James Wright.
In six seasons at LSU, Wilson developed seven running backs that were selected in the NFL Draft, including first-team All-SEC performers in Fournette, Guice, Hill and Ridley. During his tenure, the Tigers posted a 61-17 overall record, captured the 2011 SEC Championship and appeared in the National Championship Game that same season.
Under his guidance, LSU rushed for at least 200 yards 39 times, including 12 300-yard games. The Tigers also recorded 45 100-yard individual rushing performances and four 1,000-yard individual rushers.
Wilson joined the LSU staff after spending the 2009 season at Tennessee, where he coached the wide receivers under Lane Kiffin.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT COACH FRANK WILSON
“Frank is a great Louisiana man. He was one of the best assistant coaches in LSU history and he will do a great job for McNeese.” – Ed Orgeron
“Coach Frank Wilson changed my life. He gave a young kid from New Orleans a chance to compete and learn on a higher level. He opened the doors for so many of us Louisiana athletes and I’m just happy to see him making strides and becoming all that he can be. He is a true inspiration.” – Tyrann Mathieu
“Be a pro. Coach Wilson made it a real possibility not with just the amount of work we put in, but with the culture he brought to the program. He gave us respect and responsibility and we thrived. I’m happy to see Coach Wilson help others turn dreams into reality.” – Marcus Davenport, former UTSA player and first round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints
“One of the most loving and caring coaches outside of football. The love I have for him will last a lifetime. Anyone that gets him as a coach will love him not as a coach but also as a father figure. Also he’s a God fearing man.” – Leonard Fournette
“Coaches and players gravitate to Frank Wilson. He was a part of my staff at Tennessee and I can tell you firsthand that he develops players as well as anyone in college football. People talk about how great of a recruiter he is, but he is just as strong of a leader.” – Lane Kiffen, Ole Miss head coach who hired Frank Wilson at Tennessee
“I had the honor to play for and be recruited by a man who was so unselfish in his work and in his life that people were drawn to his efforts and commitment, which helped them become a man foremost and then a player. I speak firsthand for how he’s stayed in contact with players even after they have left his reach. They don’t make many like him.” – Jarvis Landry
