Johnathan Wilson is coming home.
Klein Forest has struggled the past four seasons under the direction of Ajani Sanders.
A lack of wins, but more importantly, an exodus of athletes who have transferred to other programs or who are simply not playing football.
"This means the world to me," he said. "This is my dream job and something I've been thinking about since I was 15-years old."
"I'm going to get out into the community. I have strong ties to the alumni and want to get them involved as well. This is the biggest school in Klein ISD and I've got to get into hallways, talk to students during the lunch periods and recruit the kids who are already here.
Principal Lance Alexander is taking a chance, hiring Klein Oak running backs coach Johnathan Wilson to his first head coaching job at the age of 32. Wilson is a Klein Forest alum.
"This is a big hire for me, and this is as family as it gets," Alexander said. "No one bleeds green and gold like Coach Wilson and we are happy for him to come home.
"What's so key is that he is connected to the community. He is going to be able to keep our athletes here at Klein Forest."
Wilson starred for Klein Forest in 2004-07 as a dual-sport athlete. He played receiver for coach Kenny Hammock and basketball for legendary coach Cary Black.
His assistant basketball coach at the time? Lance Alexander.
"He's really tough-minded, really smart and detail-oriented," basketball coach Cary Black said. "He could do it all on the basketball court and was a great leader. He helped lead us to Regional Semis. He's going to do a great job here and breathe life into our football program."
Wilson was an all-state selection in football and all-district selection in basketball while at Klein Forest. He then went on to star at Kansas and became the Jayhawks eighth all-time leading pass-catcher.
He coached in HISD before joining Jason Glenn on Klein Oak's staff
"Johnathan is a great young coach who will be one of the best in Texas," Glenn said. "He soaks in everything and applies it as well. Kids and the community will love him. He's my guy for life. I love him and am so proud of him."
Klein Forest is a sleeping giant. The Eagles basketball team is a state-power, while the track team has won its first state championship in 2019.
"Our biggest asset at Klein Forest is speed," he said. "I'm an offense guy and want to use that speed to get the ball on the edge and vertical on offense. On defense, we will use the outside backers and defensive backs to play fast and get to the ball."
Wilson has a few young pieces returning in 2020 in sophomore first-team, all-district running back Kendrick Bradley and freshman Parker Jenkins to build around.
"I happy to be here and happy to be home," he said. "Klein Forest is a very attractive place for student-athletes with great support from the administration."
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