Tulsa fired football coach Kevin Wilson on Sunday and appointed wide receivers coach Ryan Switzer as interim head coach for the final game of the season. The move comes just before a very important period in the college football calendar.
From December 4 through December 6, prospective high school student-athletes in the 2025 class can sign with colleges. At one point, TU had 16 commitments in this recruiting cycle, but that has recently dwindled to 12.
Putnam City (OK) linebacker Brayden Knox committed to Tulsa in July, but decided to reopen his recruiting process at the end of October. A few days later, 3-star receiver Jaquise Martin of Bryan (TX) Rudder also de-committed. Both players were receiving NIL offers from other colleges, and Martin recently committed to Houston.
Once the news of Wilson’s firing spread, two more prospects backed off of their Tulsa commitments.
Talented North Crowley (TX) defensive back Draden Fullbright announced his de-commitment on Sunday afternoon and quickly picked up offers from Oklahoma State and Houston. Also on Sunday afternoon, Coppell (TX) defensive end Blake Isbell flipped his commitment from TU to Texas State.
Coinciding with the early signing period for high school athletes is the mid-year junior college signing period, which runs from December 4 through January 15. And the all-important transfer portal window runs from December 9 through December 28.
What this means for Tulsa is that the Hurricane may be at a severe disadvantage without a new head coach in place prior to December 4. That certainly isn’t a reason to rush the hiring process, but in this age of college athletics, the month of December is extremely crucial.
Coaches must not only tie up their early high school and juco signees, as well as recruit the transfer portal, but they must also recruit their own players to keep them from jumping into the portal.
Under Wilson, Tulsa’s recruiting strategy was focused heavily on high school athletes. The timing of this coaching change may mean that the transfer portal plays a larger role for TU this year than if Wilson had been retained.
“With the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics, we know the importance of positioning our football program and athletic department to thrive and excel in the upcoming years,” TU athletic director Justin Moore said in a statement. “Our standard will be to play in bowl games every season, compete for conference titles, and build a program that everyone connected to the Golden Hurricane will be proud of."
It seems clear from Moore’s remarks that he understands the magnitude of the situation. It’s highly likely that he had a plan in place and wheels in motion long before Wilson was relieved of his duties on Sunday. With five other AAC teams already looking for head coaches, time is of the essence.
Don’t be surprised if Moore is introducing Tulsa’s new head coach within the next 10 days. And don’t be surprised if it’s not one of the usual candidates that fans and other media outlets throw out.
Names like Brennan Marion, GJ Kinne, Matt Wells, Jake Spavital and Press Taylor are usually the first mentioned due to ties to the program. Any of those could be possibilities, but Moore has plenty of his own connections from his lengthy tenure in the Texas A&M athletic administration.
A coach like USC offensive coordinator Josh Henson could certainly be a possibility. He's an Oklahoma native and former OSU lineman with 25 years of coaching experience, including spending 2019 to 2021 as Texas A&M's offensive line coach while Moore was with the Aggies. Current Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein is another name mentioned by industry insiders.
In the meantime, Switzer gets a shot at running the team, if only for one week. A record-setting receiver at North Carolina, “Switz” had multiple stints in the NFL, but Tulsa is his first coaching job. He found immediate success on the recruiting trail and brought in some very talented receivers over the past two recruiting cycles.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for me,” Switzer said at a Monday press conference. “Coming out of the National Football League, regardless of what level you played or how good of a player you were, it’s always challenging to step out of the playing phase and go into the coaching phase. Coach (Kevin) Wilson trusted me and took a chance on me, and I’m thankful for that.”
Switzer also praised the leadership of Moore.
"I would say that this program is under tremendous leadership," he described. "I wholeheartedly trust Justin (Moore) and Joe (Fields) to get us where we need to be. It's unfortunate that we didn't win enough the last two years. I know that frustration. Nobody wanted to win more than we did, certainly.
"I'm excited and very much, hopeful about the future of this program, with the leadership that we have in place. I know they'll do a great job in the coaching search, and I know that this will be a program moving forward that is respected, that wins games and that competes ultimately for conference championships."
The next week is important for Tulsa’s seniors, as they will be celebrated during Saturday’s home game against FAU. But the next week is even more important for the future of the Hurricane program, as Moore makes his first major hire as Tulsa’s athletic director.
Keep an eye on the coaching search, including inside information from our staff, in Hurricane Alley.
