By Harry Minium
Old Dominion defensive lineman Derek Wilder announced on Twitter recently that he will return to the ODU football team this fall, and that comes a surprise on two levels.
First, his father is Bobby Wilder, who coached ODU for 11 seasons and resigned in December. It may be unprecedented for a coach's son to return and play under those circumstances.
Secondly, Wilder will be playing his sixth season after receiving a medical waiver from the NCAA. Generally, the NCAA is pretty strict on waivers, but after missing 9 of 12 games in 2016 and all 12 games in 2017, Wilder learned in December that he received a waiver.
Bobby Wilder said says his son was hurt and angry when it was announced he had resigned, and that's more than understandable. Who can forget their emotional embrace following Wilder's last press conference at ODU?
"He was very upset and emotional," Wilder said. "With the uncertainty of the NCAA granting him a sixth year and not knowing who the coach would be, he wasn't sure he was coming back."
But then Bobby Wilder got a call from Ricky Rahne a few days before Rahne was named ODU's head coach.
"He called me to ask me some questions about the program and the players and that was the first conversation that Ricky and I had about my son," Wilder said. "He indicated that he wanted Derek to come back.
"I shared that with Derek and he met with Ricky his first week here. Derek really enjoyed talking to him and decided at that point he was coming back.
"He thinks a lot of Ricky and is excited about next season."
Rahne said he told Derek that "I wanted him back, that I thought he could be a good leader for us.
"Obviously, he's experienced a lot. He's had to grow a lot throughout this process. I felt like this would be an opportunity for Derek to go out and play a little bit freer.
"I was excited when he got his sixth year and I am excited that he is coming back."
Defensive coordinator Blake Seiler says he's also enthused about Derek's return.
"I had one-on-one meetings with every defensive player last week and really enjoyed talking to Derek," Seiler said. "I know his story. He has had tough injuries to deal with. It just speaks volumes about the kid that he's coming back.
"Transitions can be tough and this had to be especially tough for Derek. Your dad is the head coach, he built this place and had a lot of success.
"You wouldn't think most players who have graduated would come back under those circumstances. He obviously loves the game and loves Old Dominion.
"I'm excited to work with him. He's a football guy."
Most Former ODU Assistants Have Landed Jobs
Nearly all of ODU's assistant coaches who were fired following last season have landed jobs and those who haven't should in the near future.
Bryan Stinespring, the former Virginia Tech offensive coordinator who spent a year at ODU, was hired by Delaware as an assistant head coach and offensive line coach.
Three landed at Conference USA schools.
David Blackwell, who turned ODU's defense around last season, is the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech, which also hired John Allen as receivers coach. Charles Bankins is Charlotte's new special teams coordinator.
Long-time ODU offensive coordinator Brian Scott is Towson's offensive line coach, Grady Brown is the defensive coordinator at McNeese State and Frank Wilson is an assistant coach at Houston.
Defensive line coach Jeff Comissiong and linebackers coach Daric Riley are close to landing new jobs.
Longtime quarterbacks coach Ron Whitcomb, who recruited and developed Taylor Heinicke and David Washington, is still looking, and given his credentials, will almost certainly be on a college football sideline this fall.
In addition, recruiting coordinator Austin Shelton has moved on to North Carolina State, where he is an assistant director of player personnel in recruiting.
Monarchs don't look like 1-11 team during winter workouts
Last week was the first time that ODU's coaches got the chance to look at their returning players on the field. It came during winter workouts, when players can run and do agility drills.
And while the Monarchs weren't wearing helmets and pads, Seiler saw enough to be encouraged about next season.
"I didn't see a 1-11 football team," he said, referring to ODU's record last season. "We've got a lot of guys who look the part. We haven't actually played football with pads, but a lot of guys out there have good size and can move well.
"It's not just the way they look. I saw guys who are hungry to change the outcome."