Ken Wilson, Nevada critical of Jay Norvell, but CSU football coach, players not engaging
Nevada football coach Ken Wilson says what occurred with Jay Norvell and a host of players moving to Colorado State “doesn’t happen” in college football.
In a press conference last week, the first-year Nevada coach suggested Norvell told players to skip Nevada’s bowl game or enter the NFL draft after Norvell was hired away from Nevada to be the new CSU football coach in December.
“I think what happened to the players here doesn’t happen in college football very often,” Wilson said. “I don’t think coaches, at least coaches that I work with, leave their team before a bowl game and take players and tell players not to play in the bowl game and tell players to go to the NFL draft. There’s just a lot of things here that don’t usually happen.”
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Wilson came to Nevada from Oregon, which lost head coach Mario Cristobal to Miami last offseason. Cristobal did not coach the Ducks in their bowl game. CSU also has experience with a coach leaving before a bowl, with Jim McElwain departing to coach Florida before the Rams played in the 2014 Las Vegas Bowl.
Wilson's comments add fuel to what was already sure to be a fired-up atmosphere when the Wolf Pack host Norvell and CSU at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 (FS1).
Norvell was hired by CSU in December, becoming the first Mountain West coach to leave one job in the conference for another. Ten players on CSU’s roster played at Nevada last season (an 11th — Melquan Stovall — also joined the Rams but has since left). Five true freshmen on CSU’s team had verbally committed to Nevada before signing with the Rams.
Legendary former Nevada coach Chris Ault called CSU’s roster overhaul with former Nevada players the “Green Infection,” according to Nevada Sports Net.
Norvell has been unwilling to engage in a war of words, declining to respond to Wilson’s accusations.
“I don’t even know what he said, to be honest with you. I’m not even concerned about really who we’re playing,” Norvell said last week. "I’m more concerned about our team and growing and developing this team. So, no, I’m not going to comment on that.”
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CSU’s players have mostly diverted attention away from the discussion as well, although there have been a few rebuttals.
Former Nevada receiver Tory Horton, who as a Ram leads the Mountain West in receiving yards this season, replied to a tweet with the comments from Wilson by saying “Yeah that’s a LIE!!”
Quarterback Clay Millen said, “I’m not going to get too much into the drama,” on his weekly radio show on 1310 KFKA, but added, “No one ever told me ‘Do not play in the bowl game.’ ”
Current Nevada safety JoJuan Claiborne, who was also on the 2021 team, tweeted a message following Wilson's comments that said, in part, "I think it's lame that people are switching the narrative for what? Sell more tickets to a game?" He added, "Don't discredit this man for doing nothing but spreading love to the Reno Community for as long as he could."
Both teams are in need of a win, with CSU 0-4 after nonconference play and Nevada 2-3 with three consecutive losses. Norvell has stressed he is not paying attention to what’s being said in Reno or thinking about his return to Nevada, where he led the Wolf Pack for the previous five seasons.
“It really isn’t what’s important. The fact that we coached there and all that is not what’s important,” Norvell said Monday. “What’s important is that these kids have an opportunity to play and we need to prepare them for the challenge they have. There’s always noise. Wherever you go, whatever game you’re playing. It’s just not important, it really isn’t to this football game.”
CSU offensive lineman Jacob Gardner, who also previously played at Nevada, said there’s not much talk about the connections within the team and quickly declined to discuss the Nevada connections.
“It’s just another football game,” Gardner said. “I’m a football player, I just want to play football. I’m not here to talk about anything else. It’s a football game. It’s just that simple.”
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Jay Norvell, Colorado State football players avoid Ken Wilson, Nevada criticism
