Column: IU got it right with Wilson

Kevin Wilson is the right hire at the right time for the IU football program.
He’s a safe hire, and he’s a smart hire.

While I believe IU Athletics Director Fred Glass should have interviewed more candidates — namely former Miami (Fla.) coach Randy Shannon — he had a set plan, and I can’t fault the guy for executing it.

Glass wanted someone familiar with the Midwest and the Big Ten, which Wilson is from his time with Northwestern.

Glass wanted a guy with a vision to win at IU. After listening to him speak on Tuesday, it was clear he has that vision.

Wilson is Glass’s guy, and he got him after only a nine-day search.

“I think I know what it takes to win in this league,” Wilson said. “I think we showed that by what we were able to do at Northwestern. They’ve been able to keep that thing going.”

He’s already got his sights set on a bowl game.

“I didn’t come here on a hope or a whim. We’ve got a process of how to prepare through 12 months to go out there for those 12 opportunities and get No. 13. I think that’s a process that’s proven it’s going to win.”

After so many unsuccessful coaches, Glass knew he had to do something different to change the culture surrounding the IU football program.

He had to find a great coach with a history of winning, pay that coach an amount commensurate with the rest of the Big Ten’s coaches and commit to that coach for the long term.

What did he do? He found a guy in Wilson who has been part of a winning culture at Oklahoma and gave him a salary that will pay him $1.2 million per year for seven years.

Check, check and check.

The big question Glass had to answer with this decision was “can this coordinator be a good head coach?”

It’s hard for me to answer that one way or another at this point, but I do like Wilson’s attitude coming into the job. He didn’t smile much during the press conference, which tells me he’s all business. Plus, he answered questions as if he expects to win quickly.

“We could play them in the championship game if they’re good enough to win their division,” Wilson said, speaking about Nebraska. “We’ll see if they can get there.”

Now, though, it’s important for Wilson to hit the ground running.

Wilson should spend as much time as he can in the next few weeks filling out a staff. Even though his coaching status for Oklahoma’s bowl game against Connecticut is still up in the air, Wilson needs to close the door on that now and focus 100 percent of his time and energy on the Hoosiers.

The current players need guidance. The recruits need to know Wilson is committed.
And Wilson needs to put together a great staff because, as he noted on Tuesday, he can’t do it by himself.

“I’m going to take some time because I do have time. I need to get it right,” he said. “Right now it’s a very open-ended process. We’re going to evaluate what we’ve got, what we need, what we’re looking for and find a good fit.”

One of the most important decisions Wilson will make in the coming weeks will be that of selecting a defensive coordinator.

Wilson is a brilliant offensive mind who has had great success as a coordinator, but IU has struggled for years to find a defense. Since Glass didn’t make that a priority in his search, Wilson must make it one in his.

He cannot — I repeat: he cannot — re-hire former defensive coordinator Joe Palcic, a guy Wilson coached while at Miami (Ohio) University. He has to put personal feelings aside — as Glass did when he fired Bill Lynch  — and make the move that can take this program to the next level.

“You win in the Big Ten, and you win championships by playing D, and we’re going to play some great defense,” Wilson said.  

Only nine days after Glass made a decision he hoped he’d never have to make, the IU athletics director made the announcement he will ultimately be remembered for.
The hire wasn’t as safe as Brady Hoke and it wasn’t as groundbreaking as Jim Harbaugh.

Wilson lies somewhere in between.

But this hire is a solid one for the Hoosiers, one that could help them turn the program back in the right direction.