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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football
Frank Wilson
- Title:
- Senior Associate Head Coach/Running Backs
- Year at Ole Miss:
- First
- Email:
- rebelfootball@olemiss.edu
- Phone:
- 662-915-7890
- Alma Mater:
- Nicholls State (1997)
Frank Wilson joined Ole Miss’ staff ahead of the 2026 season as the senior associate head coach, as well as the running backs coach.
A native of New Orleans and two-time national recruiter of the year, Wilson served as LSU’s running backs coach and associate head coach for three-plus seasons before being elevated to interim head coach. Prior to joining Brian Kelly’s staff, Wilson spent six years on the LSU staff under head coach Les Miles from 2010-15. In all, Wilson spent 10 seasons with the Tigers.
Wilson had helped the Tigers to a combined 36 victories, three bowl wins and three straight Top 10 high school recruiting classes. LSU added the nation’s No. 1 transfer portal class for 2025 as well.
Wilson’s 2024 running back room featured true freshman Caden Durham and sixth-year player Josh Williams as they combined to 1,264 yards and 12 touchdowns. Durham earned Freshman All-SEC honors after rushing for 753 yards and six touchdowns. His 753 yards were the most of any freshman in the SEC and his 5.38 yards per carry ranked No. 8 overall in the league. Durham had two 100-yard games, including a 101-yard, 3-TD effort in a win over Arkansas. He rushed for 98 yards and two scores in LSU’s comeback road win over South Carolina.
In 2023, Wilson’s running back room played a key role in the nation’s most explosive offense as the Tigers led the FBS in scoring (45.5) and total yards per game (543.5). LSU was only team in the nation to rank in the Top 10 in both rushing (No. 10 at 204.5) and passing (No. 3 at 338.9). LSU set the school record for yards per carry with a 6.2 average.
Without a featured back, LSU once again used its stable of running backs in 2023 as the Tigers had three players start games at the position with Logan Diggs leading the way with eight. Seven LSU running backs combined to rush for 1,515 yards and 22 touchdowns with Diggs (653 yards, 7 TDs) and Josh Williams (284 yards, 5 TDs) leading the way.
In his first year back with the Tigers in 2022, LSU set the program record for rushing touchdowns with 39, breaking the previous mark of 37 set in 2013.
Williams, who made the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster as an undrafted free agent, led all running backs in rushing yards in 2022 with 532, while Penn State transfer Noah Cain followed with 409 yards and 10 TDs. John Emery had 375 yards on the ground and six TDs, while Armoni Goodwin followed with 267 yards and five scores.
Prior to his interim role at LSU, Wilson twice served as a head coach, first at UTSA (2016-19) and then McNeese (2020-21). He has an overall head coaching record of 26-40 with an appearance in the New Mexico Bowl in his first season at UTSA.
Wilson, arguably, had his most difficult season of coaching in 2020-21 after McNeese and Southwest Louisiana took a direct hit from Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of over 150 mph, then six weeks later, was hit with Category 2 storm Hurricane Delta.
Wilson’s leadership as a coach, father-figure and community leader was on full display as he helped rally the team, school and community both mentally and physically and just six months later while facilities and homes were still ravaged, he led the Cowboys onto the field for his first time on Feb. 13 in what was one of the most remarkable comeback wins in Cowboy history when McNeese rallied to defeat Tarleton State 40-37 in double-OT.
The spring season saw McNeese overcome obstacles and adversity from all angles and played its best football of the season late, winning two of its last three games while two of the losses on the season were by a combined six points.
In 2016 at UTSA, Wilson led the Roadrunners to a second-place finish in Conference USA’s Western Division with a 5-3 mark with upset wins over Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss. That season also produced the first player in school history to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in Marcus Davenport.
UTSA knocked off Baylor in the 2017 season-opener, the program’s first win over a Power 5 school and went on to post a 6-5 mark. He guided UTSA to bowl eligibility for the second straight season.
During his four years at UTSA, 26 players garnered All-Conference USA, two were named All-Americans, a league Defensive Player of the Year, two Freshman of the Year selections, a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award and the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy.
Wilson has experience coaching running backs, receivers, and special teams, and he made his mark at LSU as an elite recruiter and developer of talent. He coached seven running backs at LSU who went on to be selected in the NFL Draft, a group that included consensus All-America Leonard Fournette. Four LSU running backs Wilson recruited or coached earned All-SEC honors, a list that includes Fournette, Steven Ridley, Spencer Ware, and Jeremy Hill.
In 10 years as LSU’s running backs coach, Wilson’s backfield has produced four 1,000-yard rushers, had 51 100-yard individual rushing performances, and broke the 200-yard rushing mark as a team 54 times under his guidance.
Prior to taking on his first head coaching role, Wilson had his first stint at LSU. He served as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator from 2010-15. During that time, Wilson helped LSU lure some of the nation’s top players to Baton Rouge, as the Tigers had four Top 10 recruiting classes, including the No. 2 class in 2014 and the No. 5 class in 2015.
Wilson helped LSU to six bowl appearances, including the 2012 BCS National Championship game, the 2011 SEC Championship, and an overall mark of 61-17. He’s now been part of 95 wins at LSU to go along with nine bowl appearances and two SEC Western Division titles. In nine years at LSU with Wilson on staff, the Tigers have won at least 10 games six times.
Wilson 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 lead recruiter for the Tigers, Wilson landed some of the most decorated players in school history in Fournette, defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., and offensive lineman La’el Collins.
Overall, Wilson has coached or recruited 47 individuals who have gone on to play in the NFL. In 10 seasons at LSU, Wilson developed seven running backs that were selected in the NFL Draft, including first-team All-SEC performers in Fournette, Hill and Ridley.
Other collegiate coaching stops for Wilson include Tennessee (2009, wide receivers), Southern Miss (2008), Ole Miss (2005-07, running backs/special teams), and Nicholls (1996).
During his first stint at Ole Miss as the running backs coach and special teams assistant, Wilson guided future NFLer BenJarvus Green-Ellis to the third most rushing yards in 2006. Green-Ellis was named first team All-SEC by the league coaches. Under Wilson’s tutelage, Green-Ellis finished the season with 1,000 yards on the ground, which ranked fourth on Ole Miss’ then-single season rushing chart.
He also was instrumental in Dexter McCluster’s development as a return specialist. Ole Miss’ special teams’ units were one of the bigger strengths of the team, as the Rebel return game provided the offense with good field position game after game.
Wilson is a 1997 graduate of Nicholls where he was a three-year letterwinner at running back for the Colonels.
Wilson and his wife, Tiffany, have three children: Alaina, Sabree and Frank IV “Quad,” who played defensive back for LSU for three seasons after spending the 2021 season at McNeese. Quad joined his dad in Oxford as an assistant defensive backs coach.
A native of New Orleans and two-time national recruiter of the year, Wilson served as LSU’s running backs coach and associate head coach for three-plus seasons before being elevated to interim head coach. Prior to joining Brian Kelly’s staff, Wilson spent six years on the LSU staff under head coach Les Miles from 2010-15. In all, Wilson spent 10 seasons with the Tigers.
Wilson had helped the Tigers to a combined 36 victories, three bowl wins and three straight Top 10 high school recruiting classes. LSU added the nation’s No. 1 transfer portal class for 2025 as well.
Wilson’s 2024 running back room featured true freshman Caden Durham and sixth-year player Josh Williams as they combined to 1,264 yards and 12 touchdowns. Durham earned Freshman All-SEC honors after rushing for 753 yards and six touchdowns. His 753 yards were the most of any freshman in the SEC and his 5.38 yards per carry ranked No. 8 overall in the league. Durham had two 100-yard games, including a 101-yard, 3-TD effort in a win over Arkansas. He rushed for 98 yards and two scores in LSU’s comeback road win over South Carolina.
In 2023, Wilson’s running back room played a key role in the nation’s most explosive offense as the Tigers led the FBS in scoring (45.5) and total yards per game (543.5). LSU was only team in the nation to rank in the Top 10 in both rushing (No. 10 at 204.5) and passing (No. 3 at 338.9). LSU set the school record for yards per carry with a 6.2 average.
Without a featured back, LSU once again used its stable of running backs in 2023 as the Tigers had three players start games at the position with Logan Diggs leading the way with eight. Seven LSU running backs combined to rush for 1,515 yards and 22 touchdowns with Diggs (653 yards, 7 TDs) and Josh Williams (284 yards, 5 TDs) leading the way.
In his first year back with the Tigers in 2022, LSU set the program record for rushing touchdowns with 39, breaking the previous mark of 37 set in 2013.
Williams, who made the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster as an undrafted free agent, led all running backs in rushing yards in 2022 with 532, while Penn State transfer Noah Cain followed with 409 yards and 10 TDs. John Emery had 375 yards on the ground and six TDs, while Armoni Goodwin followed with 267 yards and five scores.
Prior to his interim role at LSU, Wilson twice served as a head coach, first at UTSA (2016-19) and then McNeese (2020-21). He has an overall head coaching record of 26-40 with an appearance in the New Mexico Bowl in his first season at UTSA.
Wilson, arguably, had his most difficult season of coaching in 2020-21 after McNeese and Southwest Louisiana took a direct hit from Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of over 150 mph, then six weeks later, was hit with Category 2 storm Hurricane Delta.
Wilson’s leadership as a coach, father-figure and community leader was on full display as he helped rally the team, school and community both mentally and physically and just six months later while facilities and homes were still ravaged, he led the Cowboys onto the field for his first time on Feb. 13 in what was one of the most remarkable comeback wins in Cowboy history when McNeese rallied to defeat Tarleton State 40-37 in double-OT.
The spring season saw McNeese overcome obstacles and adversity from all angles and played its best football of the season late, winning two of its last three games while two of the losses on the season were by a combined six points.
In 2016 at UTSA, Wilson led the Roadrunners to a second-place finish in Conference USA’s Western Division with a 5-3 mark with upset wins over Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss. That season also produced the first player in school history to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in Marcus Davenport.
UTSA knocked off Baylor in the 2017 season-opener, the program’s first win over a Power 5 school and went on to post a 6-5 mark. He guided UTSA to bowl eligibility for the second straight season.
During his four years at UTSA, 26 players garnered All-Conference USA, two were named All-Americans, a league Defensive Player of the Year, two Freshman of the Year selections, a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award and the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy.
Wilson has experience coaching running backs, receivers, and special teams, and he made his mark at LSU as an elite recruiter and developer of talent. He coached seven running backs at LSU who went on to be selected in the NFL Draft, a group that included consensus All-America Leonard Fournette. Four LSU running backs Wilson recruited or coached earned All-SEC honors, a list that includes Fournette, Steven Ridley, Spencer Ware, and Jeremy Hill.
In 10 years as LSU’s running backs coach, Wilson’s backfield has produced four 1,000-yard rushers, had 51 100-yard individual rushing performances, and broke the 200-yard rushing mark as a team 54 times under his guidance.
Prior to taking on his first head coaching role, Wilson had his first stint at LSU. He served as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator from 2010-15. During that time, Wilson helped LSU lure some of the nation’s top players to Baton Rouge, as the Tigers had four Top 10 recruiting classes, including the No. 2 class in 2014 and the No. 5 class in 2015.
Wilson helped LSU to six bowl appearances, including the 2012 BCS National Championship game, the 2011 SEC Championship, and an overall mark of 61-17. He’s now been part of 95 wins at LSU to go along with nine bowl appearances and two SEC Western Division titles. In nine years at LSU with Wilson on staff, the Tigers have won at least 10 games six times.
Wilson 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 lead recruiter for the Tigers, Wilson landed some of the most decorated players in school history in Fournette, defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., and offensive lineman La’el Collins.
Overall, Wilson has coached or recruited 47 individuals who have gone on to play in the NFL. In 10 seasons at LSU, Wilson developed seven running backs that were selected in the NFL Draft, including first-team All-SEC performers in Fournette, Hill and Ridley.
Other collegiate coaching stops for Wilson include Tennessee (2009, wide receivers), Southern Miss (2008), Ole Miss (2005-07, running backs/special teams), and Nicholls (1996).
During his first stint at Ole Miss as the running backs coach and special teams assistant, Wilson guided future NFLer BenJarvus Green-Ellis to the third most rushing yards in 2006. Green-Ellis was named first team All-SEC by the league coaches. Under Wilson’s tutelage, Green-Ellis finished the season with 1,000 yards on the ground, which ranked fourth on Ole Miss’ then-single season rushing chart.
He also was instrumental in Dexter McCluster’s development as a return specialist. Ole Miss’ special teams’ units were one of the bigger strengths of the team, as the Rebel return game provided the offense with good field position game after game.
Wilson is a 1997 graduate of Nicholls where he was a three-year letterwinner at running back for the Colonels.
Wilson and his wife, Tiffany, have three children: Alaina, Sabree and Frank IV “Quad,” who played defensive back for LSU for three seasons after spending the 2021 season at McNeese. Quad joined his dad in Oxford as an assistant defensive backs coach.
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