There has been a complete overhaul of the Tulsa coaching staff ahead of the 2023 season as the Golden Hurricane look to assert their footballing force on the American Athletic Conference once more. From high-octane offenses and dominant defenses to one of the most electric weapons in recent college football history, the new Tulsa staff has exciting potential.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Kevin Wilson
After finishing the 2022 college football season with a 5-7 record that broke a run of bowl game appearances, Tulsa opted for a change at the head of their coaching staff. Swiftly following the end of that campaign, the Golden Hurricane announced former Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson as their new leader. Wilson becomes the 34th-ever head coach at Tulsa.
After suffering from offensive unpredictability and inconsistency under the previous regime, Tulsa hired a coach in Wilson who has been considered one of the most prolific offensive minds in college football. During his six-season stint in Columbus, his Buckeyes’ offenses have been among the best in the nation. His 2022 unit ranked second in the country, averaging 44.2 points per game.
MORE: AAC Season Predictions: Game-By-Game Analysis, Marquee Matchups, and More Odds for 2023
While he is most renowned for stints as an offensive coordinator across Northwestern, Miami (OH), and Oklahoma, the former North Carolina offensive lineman has twice been a head coach previously. He led Foard High School in 1989, and as the head coach at Indiana, he led the team to consecutive bowl games for the first time in 25 years. Wilson’s college résumé is listed below.
- North Carolina (graduate assistant, 1984-1986)
- Winston Salem (offensive line coach, 1987)
- North Carolina A&T (offensive coordinator and OL coach, 1988)
- Miami (OH) (offensive line coach, 1990-1991; OC and OL coach, 1992-1997; OC and QB coach, 1998)
- Northwestern (OC and QB coach, 1999-2000; OC, QB coach and assistant head coach)
- Oklahoma (co-OC and OL coach, 2002-2005; OC and TE/FB coach; 2006-2010)
- Indiana (HC, 2011-2016)
- Ohio State (OC and TE coach, 2017-2022)
- Tulsa (HC, 2023)
Offensive Coordinator, Steve Spurrier Jr.
The son of one of the winningest coaches in college football history, Steve Spurrier Jr., has crafted his own coaching journey that is nearly 30 years in the making. Spurrier joins the Tulsa coaching staff for the 2023 college football season as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the Golden Hurricane as they strive for offensive consistency and success.
Spurrier knows a thing or two about high-powered offenses. In addition to cutting his teeth on his father’s staff as a graduate assistant at Florida, the new Tulsa offensive coordinator has spent time on staff with the late, great Mike Leach at two different programs. Most recently, he served as the passing game coordinator for Leach’s final season with the Bulldogs.
A former WR at Duke, a large part of Spurrier’s coaching career, the résumé of which you can find below, has been given over to molding wide receivers — both at the college and NFL levels. His success stories at the position include Makai Polk, Deebo Samuel, Alshon Jeffery, and RaRa Thomas, who will play for the reigning national champion Georgia Bulldogs in the 2023 season.
- Florida (graduate assistant, 1994-1998)
- Oklahoma (WR coach, 1999-2001)
- Washington Commanders (WR coach, 2002-2003)
- Arizona (offensive analyst, 2004)
- South Carolina (WR coach, 2005-2008; passing game coordinator and WR coach, 2009-2010; WR coach, PGC, and recruiting coordinator, 2011; co-OC, PGC, WR coach, and recruiting coordinator)
- Oklahoma (offensive analyst, 2016)
- Western Kentucky (QB coach and assistant head coach, 2017)
- Mississippi State (WR coach, 2018-2019; outside WR coach, 2020-2022)
- Tulsa (OC and QB coach, 2023)
Defensive Coordinator, Chris Polizzi
After spending the last few seasons wreaking havoc outside of the FBS level, Chris Polizzi brings his attacking defense to Tulsa for the 2023 college football season in an attempt to revive what was once a staple of Golden Hurricane success. In addition to serving as the defensive coordinator on the Tulsa staff, Polizzi will also coach a safety unit that includes standout Kendarin Ray.
Polizzi has spent the last five seasons at UT-Martin, where his ascent from LB coach to defensive coordinator after just two years speaks volumes about the impact he has made on the program. He arrives in Tulsa having engineered an FCS-leading 17 interceptions and 28 total turnovers from a defense that proved pivotal in landing the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference title.
While his primary success has been at the FCS level with the Skyhawks, Polizzi boasts Power Five experience on his college coaching résumé, which can be found below. Most notably, the former college cornerback’s work with the secondary at Iowa helped mold all-Big Ten safety Micah Hyde, who is now considered one of the top playmakers at his position in the NFL.
- Central Methodist University (2005-2008)
- UCLA (quality control coach, 2009-2010)
- Utah (graduate assistant, 2011)
- Iowa (graduate assistant, 2012-2014)
- Western Carolina (cornerback coach, 2015)
- Tennessee Tech (defensive back coach, 2016-2017)
- UT-Martin (LB coach and co-special teams coordinator, 2018; assistant head coach and secondary coach, 2019; defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, and secondary coach; 2020-2022)
- Tulsa (DC and safeties coach, 2023)
Special Teams Coordinator, Joe Bolden
A captain on the 2015 Michigan Wolverines team who tallied 18.5 tackles for loss during his career, Joe Bolden has quickly picked up experience around the college landscape. He has served as an assistant at Michigan, USC, Washington State, FAU, and Ohio State before becoming the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Nevada last season.
Defensive Line Coach, Ron Burton
A former college teammate of head coach Wilson at North Carolina, Ron Burton joins the Tulsa coaching staff as the defensive line coach after one season at Miami (OH). While he has over 30 years of experience, Burton is best known for his stint at Michigan State, where he was twice named Football Scoop Defensive Line Coach of the Year, the only multiple honoree.
Tight End Coach, Greg Frey
In addition to his role as tight end coach, Greg Fry will also serve as the run game coordinator on the Tulsa coaching staff. Although he joins the Golden Hurricane from South Alabama and cut his college coaching teeth at USF, he has Power Five pedigree running through his blood after spending time at programs such as Duke, FSU, Michigan, Indiana, and West Virginia.
Cornerback Coach, Michael Hunter Jr.
After playing for head coach Wilson at Indiana, Michael Hunter Jr. comes full circle as he joins Wilson’s Tulsa coaching staff as the cornerback coach and defensive pass game coordinator. Hunter by name, ball hunter by nature, the new Golden Hurricane coach logged two interceptions in his final college season with Oklahoma State before spending time on six NFL teams.
Running Back Coach, Adrian Mayes
A standout offensive lineman at Kansas as a player, Adrian Mayes’ coaching career has centered around paving the way for running backs as an OL coach and TE coach, but he’ll transition to RB coach in his first season on the Tulsa coaching staff.
His previous experience working with running backs was in 2013 as an intern with a New York Jets room led by Chris Ivory.
MORE: AAC RB Rankings 2023
Linebacker Coach, Koy McFarland
Another member of the new Tulsa coaching staff that arrives from Ohio State, Koy McFarland will serve as the linebacker coach and defensive run game coordinator for the Golden Hurricane. A graduate assistant with the Buckeyes, at Louisiana Tech, and with his alma mater, Arkansas-Monticello, McFarland spent three seasons as the assistant linebacker coach at Oklahoma State.
Offensive Line Coach, Ryan Stanchek
Another new addition to the Tulsa coaching staff who is reunited with head coach Wilson, Ryan Stanchek served as a graduate assistant at Indiana from 2012-2013. While spending most of his coaching career at the FCS level, Stanchek was the OL coach at Southern Miss from 2019-2020. His O-line origins stem from a 48-start, All-American career at the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Wide Receiver Coach, Ryan Switzer
What better way to electrify your offense than by bringing in one of the most electric wide receivers and returners in recent college football history? Ryan Switzer set numerous North Carolina program records while establishing a benchmark in the ACC with seven career punt return touchdowns. His success led to a five-year NFL career, and now he opens his coaching career with Tulsa in 2023.
