Johnathan Wilson

Biography

Johnathan Wilson joined Scott Abell’s staff in January of 2025 as the Owls’ running backs coach. Wilson came to Rice after two seasons at SFA when he tutored the Lumberjacks’ running backs, including Qualan Jones, who was fourth in the Southland with 779 yards and averaged 5.3 per carry. Jones’ rushing total was the highest at SFA since 2014. He moved to coaching at the collegiate level in 2024 after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, Klein Forest. He moved into the head coach’s role in 2020 and in his first game leading the Golden Eagles, they snapped a 19-game losing streak with a 28-13 win over Goose Creek Memorial. Willson was a four-year letterman as a wide receiver at Kansas from 2007-10, where he caught 119 passes for 1,641 yards in his career. He was recruited to Kansas by future Rice offensive coordinator John Reagan. After graduation, he began his coaching career at Klein Oak in 2012, where the Panthers reached a pair of Region 2 semifinals in addition to the championship game in 2014 before moving to Klein Forest in 2020. He and wife Cheri have two children, Weston and Winter.