West Virginia hires former Texas OL coach Joe Wickline as OC

The Texas Longhorns will see a familiar face on the sidelines when the West Virginia Mountaineers travel to Austin next November, as former offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Joe Wickline is the new offensive coordinator in Morgantown, according to a release from the school.

Wickline found a soft landing spot with former and once again colleague Dana Holgorsen about a month after being fired by Texas. The two worked together at Oklahoma State in 2010, when Holgorsen was the offensive coordinator and Wickline was the offensive line coach.

"Joe brings a wealth of experience, and his resume speaks volumes of his ability to build top offensive lines, as well as being a prominent voice in developing offensive units," Holgorsen said. "We were on staff together at Oklahoma State in 2010, and he brings an excellent familiarity of the Big 12 Conference. I am excited to add him to our staff and welcome him and his family to West Virginia University."

The situation seems like a much better fit for Wickline in Morgantown than it ever was in Austin -- Holgorsen calls the plays and the presence of an offensive line coach who is a strong recruiter reduces pressure on Wickline to engage in the part of his duties he seemed to like the least at Texas.

Wickline was at the center of an awkward situation under head coach Charlie Strong. Initially hired as the offensive coordinator, there were persistent questions about his role in the play-calling duties for the Longhorns, which eventually prompted an embarrassing lawsuit surrounding that very question that persisted until after his termination by Texas.

Oklahoma State and Wickline finally settled the $600,000 lawsuit in late December. The terms were not immediately disclosed, but a Cowboys spokesman later revealed the settlement amount as $250,000.