LSU football, Brian Kelly hire former McNeese coach Frank Wilson as associate head coach

Brian Kelly has found his new associate head coach.

LSU football announced on Tuesday that it had hired former McNeese coach Frank Wilson to that position. Minutes before the announcement, reports surfaced that Wilson had resigned as McNeese's head coach.

“Frank Wilson has a proven track record of identifying, recruiting, and developing elite student-athletes everywhere he has been,” Kelly said in a press release Tuesday. “No one knows the recruiting landscape in Louisiana better than Frank, and his experience and character will be tremendous resources for our staff and student-athletes."

Wilson had previously spent six seasons on LSU's coaching staff, from 2010-2015. He left the program to become Texas-San Antonio's head coach in 2016, eventually leaving that job to become the coach at McNeese in 2020.

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As a head coach, Wilson accumulated a 26-40 record across six seasons.

"I will forever be grateful to the coaches, staff, and student-athletes I have been fortunate to work with at McNeese State, and I will always remember the lessons I have learned in my six seasons as a head coach," Wilson said in the release. "But the opportunity to return home to LSU and join Coach Kelly’s staff was one my family and I simply could not pass up. I could not be more excited to return to Baton Rouge and do whatever I can to help the Tigers consistently compete for and win championships."

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The 48-year-old has a long track record of recruiting in Louisiana. Wilson recruited five-star prospects Leonard Fournette, Anthony Johnson, Jarvis Landry, Malachi Dupree and Tyron Johnson to LSU.

Wilson also spent time at Tennessee and Ole Miss as an assistant coach.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football, Brian Kelly hire Frank Wilson as associate head coach