Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Football
- Title:
- Running Backs
Knox College, 1999
• A member of two national championship staffs during his career, John Wozniak joined the Oklahoma State football staff as running backs coach in February of 2017.
• Formerly an offensive graduate assistant at Oklahoma State under Les Miles in 2004, Wozniak won his first national title while serving in an offensive quality control role under Miles at LSU in 2007, then claimed his second as a special teams analyst under Nick Saban at Alabama in 2012.
• The OSU rushing game improved in each of Wozniak’s first three years on staff. OSU averaged 4.63 yards per rush and 179.77 yards per game in 2017. That mark improved to 4.78 yards per rush and 190.31 yards per game in 2018, then to 5.31 yards per rush and 229.6 yards per game in 2019.
• In each of Wozniak’s first four years at OSU he coached an All-Big 12 running back, with Justice Hill named first team in 2017 and 2018 and Chuba Hubbard named first team in 2019 and second team in 2020. Ollie Gordon II was his next first team All-Big 12 back in 2023.
• In 2023, Wozniak coached the best running back in the country in Ollie Gordon II. Gordon wrapped up his sophomore season by winning the Doak Walker Award, unanimous All-America honors, the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, while also receiving more votes for the Heisman Trophy than any other running back. Despite playing for an offense that attempted the third-most pass attempts in the FBS, Gordon led the nation in rushing yards (1,732), yards from scrimmage (2,062), 100-yard games (nine), 150-yard games (5), 250-yard games (2) and carries of at least 20 yards (21), 30 yards (14), 40 yards (7) and more. He was also second in rushing touchdowns (21), total touchdowns (22), rushing yards after contact (1,056) and all-purpose yards (2,062).
• Wozniak’s 2022 running backs accounted for more than 2,000 all-purpose yards on the season, contributing both the rushing game, receiving game and special teams.
• In 2021 Wozniak coached graduate transfer Jaylen Warren to a 1,000-yard season and to Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors.
• Under Wozniak’s guidance in 2020, OSU was the only Power Five team and one of three FBS teams to have four running backs post 100-yard rushing games as Chuba Hubbard, LD Brown, Dezmon Jackson and Dominic Richardson all accomplished the feat. OSU running backs combined to produce 2,009 yards of offense and 15 total touchdowns in an 11-game 2020 season.
• In 2019, Wozniak coached Hubbard to unanimous All-America status as he led the FBS in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, all-purpose yards, all-purpose yards per game, yards after contact (via Pro Football Focus) and many more categories. Hubbard finished eighth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
• Hubbard’s 2,094 rushing yards in 2019 ranks as the No. 2 rushing total in OSU history, trailing only Barry Sanders’ 1988 Heisman season. Hubbard was the 2019 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, a finalist for Doak Walker Award and a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, among other honors.
• In 2018, Wozniak’s running backs factored into the OSU offense ranking second in the Big 12 in rushing offense (190.3 yards per game), rushing touchdowns (30) and rushing yards per carry (4.8).
• In 2018, Wozniak coached Justice Hill to his second consecutive first-team All-Big 12 honor. From the end of the 2017 season through the middle of 2018, Hill scored at least one rushing touchdown in 12 straight games, then the longest streak for an RB in Big 12 history.
• In 2017, the Cowboys became the first offense in Big 12 history with a 4,000-yard passer (Mason Rudolph), two 1,000-yard receivers (James Washington and Marcell Ateman) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Justice Hill).
• Wozniak came to Oklahoma State from Southern Miss, where he spent the previous four years coaching wide receivers and special teams. When Todd Monken was hired as head coach of the Golden Eagles in 2013, he brought Wozniak along as part of his first staff and Wozniak was retained at USM after Monken left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016.
• Wozniak helped build the Southern Miss passing attack into one of the most potent in Conference USA. The year before his arrival in Hattiesburg, the Golden Eagles were 0-12 and ranked 108th nationally in passing offense. By the time Wozniak finished, USM went to back-to-back bowl games in his last two seasons and had the Golden Eagles passing offense ranked 12th in the nation in 2015 and 16th in the nation in 2016. Southern Miss ranked in the top 25 nationally in total offense in both of those seasons as well (12th in 2015 and 21st in 2016).
• Under Wozniak’s, Mike Thomas ranked in the top 10 nationally in receiving yards, receiving yards per game and receiving touchdowns in 2015 and Allenzae Staggers ranked in the top 25 nationally in receiving yards and yards per catch in 2016. Thomas, Staggers and fellow Wozniak pupil Casey Martin rank among the top receivers in USM history.
• As a recruiter, Wozniak helped Southern Miss sign Gatorade Player of the Year honorees from the state of Alabama in both 2013 (quarterback Nick Mullens) and 2017 (receiver Jaylond Adams). Mullens went on to break many of Brett Favre’s records at USM.
• A decorated quarterback and receiver during his playing days at Knox College, Wozniak graduated in 1999 with degrees in physics and secondary education, then was immediately hired on as the tight ends and punters coach. The next year - just one year removed from graduation - he was promoted to offensive coordinator, a role in which he served for four years before he moved to Stillwater to join Les Miles’ Oklahoma State staff in 2004.
• He followed Miles to Baton Rouge as a graduate assistant in 2005 before accepting a full-time position as tight ends and special teams coach at Georgia Southern in 2006. During his one season there, the Eagles led the Southern Conference and ranked 14th nationally in kickoff returns.
• Miles brought Wozniak back to LSU in an offensive quality control position in 2007, and Wozniak’s contributions helped LSU rank 11th nationally in rushing offense and scoring offense en route to the national championship.
• A return to full-time coaching followed for Wozniak, who coached tight ends and special teams at Montana State in 2008. Under Wozniak’s coaching, tight end Brandon Bostick led the team in touchdowns and was third in receptions despite playing in just seven games. Punter Erik Fisher ranked 15th nationally by averaging 41.8 yards per kick, and kicker Jason Cunningham was 13-of-19 on field goal attempts. All three players earned all-conference honors that year. Additionally, the Bobcats blocked five punts during the season.
• One-year stops at Memphis (special teams coordinator in 2009), West Georgia (offensive coordinator in 2010) and UAB (running backs coach in 2011) led Wozniak to Tuscaloosa, where he helped Alabama to a national title as a special teams analyst in 2012.
Personal
• Wozniak is married to the former Jessica Swaye. The couple has a daughter, Audrey.
Year By Year
| Year | School | Position |
| 1999 | Knox College | Tight Ends/Punters |
| 2000-03 | Knox College | Offensive Coordinator |
| 2004 | Oklahoma State | Offensive Grad Assistant |
| 2005 | LSU | Offensive Grad Assistant |
| 2006 | Georgia Southern | Tight Ends/Special Teams |
| 2007 | LSU | Offensive Quality Control |
| 2008 | Montana State | Tight Ends/Special Teams |
| 2009 | Memphis | Special Teams Coordinator |
| 2010 | West Georgia | Offensive Coordinator |
| 2011 | UAB | Running Backs |
| 2012 | Alabama | Special Teams Analyst |
| 2013-16 | Southern Miss | WRs/Special Teams |
| 2017-pres. | Oklahoma State | Running Backs |
Bowl Games
2005 Peach Bowl
2007 BCS National Championship
2012 BCS National Championship
2015 Heart of Dallas Bowl
2016 New Orleans Bowl
2017 Camping World Bowl
2018 Liberty Bowl
2019 Texas Bowl
2020 Cheez-It Bowl
2021 Fiesta Bowl
2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2023 Texas Bowl
Prominent Pupils
Corey Acosta, San Francisco 49ers
Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Casey Martin, Southern Miss
Darrin Reaves, Kansas City Chiefs
Jeremy Shelley, Atlanta Falcons
Allenzae Staggers, Southern Miss
Mike Thomas, Los Angeles Rams
Carson Tinker, Jacksonville Jaguars
Quez Watkins, Southern Miss
