Report: LSU associate head coach Frank Wilson accused of sexual harassment

Frank Wilson, who was hired this offseason to serve as LSU’s associate head coach under Brian Kelly, has been accused of sexual harassment towards former LSU athletic personnel, per court documents obtained by The Athletic’s Brody Miller.

Wilson is currently the associate head coach and running backs coach at LSU, but it’s his second stint with the Tigers. He came to Baton Rouge from McNeese State, where he served as head coach for 2020 and 2021, and he last served as associate head coach and running backs coach at LSU from 2010-2015. The alleged incident happened during his first stint with the Tigers.

The Athletic’s report says that Wilson was accused of exposing his genitalia to former LSU associate athletic director Sharon Lewis. Lewis alleged that Wilson asked her to touch his genitalia and tried to kiss a separate female employee without consent.

Lewis had previously filed a lawsuit against LSU, alleging that the university retaliated after she reported claims that former head coach Les Miles was sexually harassing student workers. The allegations brought upon Wilson were added to that ongoing suit on Thursday.

Months after Lewis filed the initial lawsuit, she was fired in January, per The Athletic, among “mass layoffs during the staff change.”

Wilson received a warm reception upon his return to LSU

LSU fans were thrilled to hear that Kelly, the Tigers’ newest head coach, was bringing Wilson back to Baton Rouge. During his first stint with the Tigers, Wilson was very successful on the recruiting trail and was named Rivals’ 2011 National Recruiter of the Year, then in 2014 NFL.com named Lewis the top recruiter in all of college football. One year later, as LSU secured a top-five recruiting class in 2015, Lewis was named the SEC Recruiter of the Year by Scout.com.

“Frank Wilson has a proven track record of identifying, recruiting, and developing elite student-athletes everywhere he has been,” Kelly said previously in a statement. “No one knows the recruiting landscape in Louisiana better than Frank, and his experience and character will be tremendous resources for our staff and student-athletes. His impact on our staff at LSU will be immediate and immense. We are thrilled he is returning home to ensure that we continue to sign the best student-athletes in Louisiana and throughout the country.”

Wilson spent six years on the LSU coaching staff, serving as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. During that time, the Tigers had four top 10 recruiting classes, including the No. 2 class in 2014 and the No. 5 class in 2015.

Wilson helped LSU to six bowl appearances, including the 2012 BCS National Championship game. As a head coach at UTSA and McNeese State, Wilson went 26-40 in six seasons.

“I will forever be grateful to the coaches, staff, and student-athletes I have been fortunate to work with at McNeese State, and I will always remember the lessons I have learned in my six seasons as a head coach,” Wilson said. “But the opportunity to return home to LSU and join Coach Kelly’s staff was one my family and I simply could not pass up. I could not be more excited to return to Baton Rouge and do whatever I can to help the Tigers consistently compete for and win championships.”