Preseason camp began early Tuesday morning for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, under first-year head coach Kevin Wilson. The 7:15 am start on Harwell Field helped the team beat the extreme temperatures in the area. During the first practice, temps rose from 88 to 98 degrees.

“We had a really good first day,” Wilson said in a statement. “I was happy getting out here on the field with these guys. We threw a lot at them, but it didn’t look like a first day. We weren’t in turbo jet mode, but we were moving around at a pretty good clip today.”

Coach Wilson is looking to continue the progress made in spring drills and throughout the offseason.

“I love practice. I love the art of practicing,” Wilson said. “We had a great offseason and everything we did previously was all done so that hopefully we could start off practicing well, and part of that is being organized, so it’s not chaotic."

TU practices again on Wednesday morning, and the team will hold its annual Media Day on Friday.

“I told the players last night to not get mad when we’re coaching, please bear with us because it’s on-the-job training," said Wilson. "There are too many formations, too many defenses, too many plays, you can’t cover it all in the first days. A player may think he made a mistake, but no, it’s just learning on the run."

The Hurricane begins the 2023 season at home against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Thursday, August 31.