West Virginia hires Joe Wickline as offensive coordinator
Dana Holgorsen and Joe Wickline are reuniting.
Holgorsen announced Thursday that he has added Wickline to his West Virginia staff as offensive coordinator. Wickline spent the last two seasons as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Texas and previously worked with Holgorsen at Oklahoma State.
Wickline was fired by Texas after the 2015 season.
“Joe brings a wealth of experience, and his resume speaks volumes of his ability to build top offensive lines, as well as being a prominent voice in developing offensive units,” Holgorsen said. “We were on staff together at Oklahoma State in 2010, and he brings an excellent familiarity of the Big 12 Conference. I am excited to add him to our staff and welcome him and his family to West Virginia University.”
Wickline was the offensive line coach at Oklahoma State from 2005-13. Holgorsen spent a year with the Cowboys as offensive coordinator in 2010 before accepting the head-coaching gig at WVU. Wickline also had stints as an assistant at Florida, Middle Tennessee State, Baylor and Ole Miss, among others.
“I’ve always thought about what it would be like to come to West Virginia and be a part of West Virginia University,” Wickline said. “Growing up, I spent a lot of time in and out of the state in the Charleston and Huntington areas. My father’s from Fayetteville, and my mother’s from Kirk, and they met in West Virginia. A lot of family lineage and nostalgia was built from being in the state at such a young age for so long and talking about it. I have a lot of respect for the people in the state; they are the salt of the earth, and I am glad I am able to come here and be a part of it.
“Working with Dana will be a special thing. We have a lot in common as far as football, recruiting and the business. I have a great deal of respect for him from A-Z. I think he is an unbelievable football coach, as good as they come, and when I had the opportunity to work for him, I jumped at it. I had some other opportunities, but the combination of all the above was what attracted me to this opportunity, and I am excited to get started.”
Wickline’s name was recently in the news after Oklahoma State filed a breach of contract lawsuit against him. The suit was filed after Wickline left OSU for Texas in 2014 and cited a provision in his contract that stated he had to be the primary playcaller at his next stop, otherwise he’d owe money to the school.
Texas claimed that Wickline shared play-calling duties with co-offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. The two sides reached a settlement in December. Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
For more West Virginia news, visit WVSports.com.
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