Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Football
Julian Wilson
- Title:
- Defensive Backs
An Oklahoma City native, Julian Wilson was hired as defensive backs coach in December of 2025. He coaches Oklahoma State's cornerbacks.
Wilson arrived in Stillwater with six years of college coaching experience and has worked with defensive backs throughout his career.
Prior to coming to OSU, Wilson spent the 2025 season as the defensive backs coach at North Texas. In his lone year at UNT, he was part of a staff that helped improve the Mean Green by nearly 10 points per game in scoring defense, by 90 yards per game in total defense and by more than 100 yards per game in passing defense. The 2025 UNT defense ranked among the top 25 in the FBS in fumbles recovered (No. 3), turnovers gained (No. 4), passing yards allowed (No. 8), passes intercepted (No. 14) and passing efficiency defense (No. 14).
Wilson spent the 2024 season as the defensive backs coach at Sam Houston. He coached a defensive backfield that finished the season 13th in the FBS in passing defense and tallied 16 interceptions to mark the most in Conference USA. He also helped guide defensive back Caleb Weaver to a first team All-CUSA selection after he tallied a league-high four interceptions on the year.
Wilson helped the Bearkats finish the year 10-3 and earn the first bowl victory in program history with a 31-26 win over Georgia Southern in the New Orleans Bowl.
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Prior to his time at Sam Houston, Wilson spent the previous two seasons coaching defensive backs at Abilene Christian.
During his two-year stint at ACU, he helped the Wildcats post a dozen wins to mark its most in a two-year period since the program moved to Division I. While there, the defense held 14 of its 19 FCS opponents under their season scoring averages and was a Top 35 Massey-rated defense each year.
The 2022 ACU defense was one of the best in school history and was near the top of the WAC in multiple statistical categories. A year later Wilson helped lead ACU to five more victories while his defensive-back unit ranked second in the newly formed United Athletic Conference and 23rd in the FCS with 12 interceptions.Â
At ACU, Wilson coached Dave Campbell Texas Football's non-FBS DB of the Year CB Patrick Jolly. Jolly finished the 2023 season as the No. 9 rated corner in PFF grading and led the conference in passes defended. Jolly earned second team all-conference honors in both 2022 and 2023.
A former cornerback in the NFL and at Oklahoma, Wilson spent two years before his time in Abilene as a graduate assistant on staff at Texas Tech, working primarily with the Red Raider secondary.
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In his time at Texas Tech, Wilson helped mentor Zech McPhearson, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Ja'Marcus Ingram, all who became All-Big 12 selections. Ingram signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2022, Taylor-Demerson was a fourth round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2024 and McPhearson was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.Â
The Red Raiders were tied for the league lead in pick-sixes in 2021 while claiming two of the top three individuals in the Big 12 in passes defended. Texas Tech totaled five all-conference selections in Wilson's two years, including three of the conference's top defensive backs in production in 2021.
In his first year at TTU, Wilson helped McPhearson earn a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2020, becoming just the second Red Raider cornerback to earn that distinction since Texas Tech joined the Big 12 in 1996.
A four-time academic all-conference selection, Wilson followed his collegiate career with the Sooners by spending time with the Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL before later joining the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
The Oklahoma City native played in 48 games during his collegiate career at Oklahoma, totaling 99 tackles over his four seasons to go along with four interceptions and 15 pass breakups. He made 20 of his 22 career starts over his final two seasons and earned his degree in Human Relations in 2014. His father, Darrell McCowan, lettered in football at Oklahoma State from 1991-92. Wilson also has a son, Joshua.
Coaching History
2020-21: Texas Tech, graduate assistant
2022-23: Abilene Christian, defensive backs
2024: Sam Houston, defensive backs
2025: North Texas, defensive backs
2026: Oklahoma State, defensive backs
Wilson arrived in Stillwater with six years of college coaching experience and has worked with defensive backs throughout his career.
Prior to coming to OSU, Wilson spent the 2025 season as the defensive backs coach at North Texas. In his lone year at UNT, he was part of a staff that helped improve the Mean Green by nearly 10 points per game in scoring defense, by 90 yards per game in total defense and by more than 100 yards per game in passing defense. The 2025 UNT defense ranked among the top 25 in the FBS in fumbles recovered (No. 3), turnovers gained (No. 4), passing yards allowed (No. 8), passes intercepted (No. 14) and passing efficiency defense (No. 14).
Wilson spent the 2024 season as the defensive backs coach at Sam Houston. He coached a defensive backfield that finished the season 13th in the FBS in passing defense and tallied 16 interceptions to mark the most in Conference USA. He also helped guide defensive back Caleb Weaver to a first team All-CUSA selection after he tallied a league-high four interceptions on the year.
Wilson helped the Bearkats finish the year 10-3 and earn the first bowl victory in program history with a 31-26 win over Georgia Southern in the New Orleans Bowl.
Â
Prior to his time at Sam Houston, Wilson spent the previous two seasons coaching defensive backs at Abilene Christian.
During his two-year stint at ACU, he helped the Wildcats post a dozen wins to mark its most in a two-year period since the program moved to Division I. While there, the defense held 14 of its 19 FCS opponents under their season scoring averages and was a Top 35 Massey-rated defense each year.
The 2022 ACU defense was one of the best in school history and was near the top of the WAC in multiple statistical categories. A year later Wilson helped lead ACU to five more victories while his defensive-back unit ranked second in the newly formed United Athletic Conference and 23rd in the FCS with 12 interceptions.Â
At ACU, Wilson coached Dave Campbell Texas Football's non-FBS DB of the Year CB Patrick Jolly. Jolly finished the 2023 season as the No. 9 rated corner in PFF grading and led the conference in passes defended. Jolly earned second team all-conference honors in both 2022 and 2023.
A former cornerback in the NFL and at Oklahoma, Wilson spent two years before his time in Abilene as a graduate assistant on staff at Texas Tech, working primarily with the Red Raider secondary.
Â
In his time at Texas Tech, Wilson helped mentor Zech McPhearson, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Ja'Marcus Ingram, all who became All-Big 12 selections. Ingram signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2022, Taylor-Demerson was a fourth round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2024 and McPhearson was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.Â
The Red Raiders were tied for the league lead in pick-sixes in 2021 while claiming two of the top three individuals in the Big 12 in passes defended. Texas Tech totaled five all-conference selections in Wilson's two years, including three of the conference's top defensive backs in production in 2021.
In his first year at TTU, Wilson helped McPhearson earn a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2020, becoming just the second Red Raider cornerback to earn that distinction since Texas Tech joined the Big 12 in 1996.
A four-time academic all-conference selection, Wilson followed his collegiate career with the Sooners by spending time with the Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL before later joining the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
The Oklahoma City native played in 48 games during his collegiate career at Oklahoma, totaling 99 tackles over his four seasons to go along with four interceptions and 15 pass breakups. He made 20 of his 22 career starts over his final two seasons and earned his degree in Human Relations in 2014. His father, Darrell McCowan, lettered in football at Oklahoma State from 1991-92. Wilson also has a son, Joshua.
Coaching History
2020-21: Texas Tech, graduate assistant
2022-23: Abilene Christian, defensive backs
2024: Sam Houston, defensive backs
2025: North Texas, defensive backs
2026: Oklahoma State, defensive backs
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