Buffs DL Coach Wilson Knows What Success At CU Looks Like
March 24, 2020 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — The last time the Colorado Buffaloes won a conference championship game, Chris Wilson was on the sidelines.
The last time the Buffaloes won a bowl game, Wilson was on the sidelines, and the last time Colorado beat two top-10 teams in the same season — you guessed it — Wilson was on the sidelines. (Wilson was also on the sidelines when the Buffaloes beat Nebraska 62-36. We mention that just because it's fun to remember.)
In other words, Wilson was a CU assistant coach the last time the Buffaloes were relevant in the national picture for several seasons in a row — and now, the defensive line coach who worked under Gary Barnett is back in Boulder to coach the same position for Karl Dorrell.
"Fantastic," was Wilson's description recently of his return. "This is one of the good places. I'm excited to be here and excited to work with a really good veteran staff. It was a great opportunity. Coach Dorrell was here and we had common threads with people we knew. I was excited when he got the opportunity and obviously excited when he called."
Wilson coached under Barnett from 2000 to 2004, a span in which he tutored such players as Justin Bannan, Tyler Brayton, Marques Harris, Matt McChesney, Brandon Dabdoub, Gabe Nyenhuis and James Garee.
But it was more than just the chance to coach again under the Flatirons that convinced Wilson to leave the NFL — he worked with the Arizona Cardinals last season — and come back to Colorado.
"First of all, the people," Wilson said. "That's what makes a great place. You combine that with the ability to compete at a high level in the Pac-12, it's a great marriage. And, no doubt, there's a familiarity with knowing what this place is capable of. I feel good about what's in store for us."
Wilson's road since leaving Colorado after the 2004 season was a fruitful one. It included five years working for Bob Stoops at Oklahoma (his alma mater), three years at Mississippi State, a year at Georgia and two at Southern California before making a jump to the NFL, where he worked for Doug Pederson and the Philadelphia Eagles. He spent three seasons in Philly as the Eagles' defensive line coach, including the 2017 season, when he picked up a Super Bowl ring.
Now, after a year with the Cardinals, he's back in the college ranks and eager to help the Buffaloes get back to the level he remembers.
Wilson inherits a solid returning group. The list of returnees includes all of last year's starters — senior Mustafa Johnson, junior Terrance Lang and sophomore Jalen Sami— as well as a host of other significant contributors, including junior Janaz Jordan, sophomore Na'im Rodman and sophomore Austin Williams.
Wilson has had time to look at film from last season and has liked what he's seen.
"We've got some players here," Wilson said. "Now it's up to us as teachers to develop them and teach them how to play with great technique and effort. I thought this group is a talented group. We just have to get them pointed in the right direction and be able to win close games. That's critical and it's a big part of what we do."
Over the years, Wilson has refined his coaching technique. One thing he said he has learned is to treat every player as an individual.
"The biggest thing is you can't have a cookie-cutter approach," he said. "Every player is unique. You have to have a good plan every week. This is what we do and this is how we do it. I don't care what level you are, your best players have to play well for you to win. So we have to do a tremendous job of making sure our best players are playing at a high level every Saturday."
Wilson also fits the mold of the "teachers" Dorrell was looking for as he filled out his first coaching staff at Colorado.
"Chris brings a wealth of experience both on the college and professional levels," Dorrell said when he announced Wilson's hiring. "He's a well-respected defensive line coach who has also been a coordinator, and with the Philadelphia Eagles, a Super Bowl champion coach. This is a man who deeply cares about his players, and he knows the intricacies of the university having coached here for five seasons."
Wilson is no doubt excited about the opportunity.
"People who know Karl know who he is as a human being, his core values, how you're going to treat players," Wilson said. "That's really important in this day and age, that you are preparing them for life after football. Karl is as good as anybody at not only developing guys who are going to go to the NFL, but developing guys who are going to go on and become successful businessmen. Those things are important."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
