Wilson focuses on present, setting foundation for improvement on Big Ten Media Days

In the minds of many, the IU football program has taken a backseat to basketball for as long as most can remember. At the Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on Thursday and Friday, both Athletic Director Fred Glass and new head football coach Kevin Wilson made it clear that Hoosier football is not to be overlooked.

“I think the stakes are really big for football,” Glass said. “Football is a big deal and I think we recognize that with really unprecedented commitment to the football program.”

Wilson said he appreciates the commitment from the athletics department and has confidence that it won’t take much to make IU a more competitive program.

“The administration’s got everything in place for us,” Wilson said. “We’re not climbing Mount Everest, so I think everything’s in place for our program to take off.”

Every time Wilson spoke, whether it was at a podium on Thursday or at a crowded table on Friday, it was clear that he expected to compete immediately and win immediately. Wilson kept the 2011 Hoosier team as the focus of his responses, saying that he and his staff were extremely excited about the team they will put on the field when they begin the season at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis against Ball State Sept. 3.

“The number one job our staff has done and our strength staff has done is recruiting the current Indiana football team, giving these seniors a chance to have a great year,” Wilson said. “The only thing we haven’t done yet is put our product on the field.”

The players, like senior wide receiver Damarlo Belcher, said they are impressed with Wilson’s track record and found immediate respect for him and his staff. Wilson was previously the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. During his time there, the Sooners went to seven BCS bowl games, made three National Championship game appearances and had 22 of his Sooner players drafted into the NFL.

“He’s been around,” Belcher said. “He’s a winner. He’s coached great players. He had a lot of first-rounders that he’s sent to the NFL, so when a guy like that walks into our door, you have no choice but to listen to him and follow his lead.”

The Big Ten has undergone some coaching changes since Wilson coached under Randy Walker at Northwestern from 1999-2001. Despite these changes, though, Wilson believes the core of the Big Ten has remained the same.

“Coaches have changed, so there’s some structures of offense and defense that are different,” Wilson said. “Again, what you have in the Big Ten is tradition, value, great football every Saturday.”