In March, The Bachelor reported the hiring of Associate Head Coach Jake Gilbert ’98, who will spend one year as the team’s defensive coordinator before succeeding Head Football Coach Don Morel, who will retire at the end of the 2024 football season. This week, The Bachelor sat down with Morel and Gilbert to give their perspective about the fast-approaching 2024 season.
Planning in a year to transition the program is an uncommon scenario in sports, which opened the door for uncertainty. Coming from a wildly successful career as head coach at Westfield High School, Gilbert was not looking to move. But Gilbert was willing to take on the unique situation if it meant returning to his alma mater.
“When Coach [Morel] called me and asked me about it, it didn’t take a whole lot [to convince me],” said Gilbert. “I had such an amazing situation. I wasn’t looking for college jobs at all, but the opportunity to coach here was my dream. I thought– maybe in retirement– someday I could come back here and help again. But for me to get an opportunity to be the head football coach here, I could never say no to it.”
For Morel, the chance to bring in a defensive coordinator of Gilbert’s caliber and secure the future of his team even after his own tenure in one move was too good to miss.
“Wabash got it completely right,” said Morel. “Jake’s a great guy. He’s a perfect fit for the job. It makes me very comfortable knowing I’m the head coach. I’ve got a great defensive coordinator, who will be the next head coach, and we’re in a great position. I’m leaving this program in better shape than I got it.”
For Gilbert, this season is a chance to set the table for when he takes over the program, something he is in no rush to do. Over the next few months he plans to develop his vision for the future for the program firmly grounded in the present season.
“As a leader, you always have a big picture vision you’re marching towards,” said Gilbert. “You’re thinking of ideas of how we can improve this for next year or the year after, but you’re firmly planted in the present. And if you’re a football coach, there’s plenty going on in the present, in season, for sure.”
It would be all too easy for Gilbert to look at the upcoming year as something to be gotten through before he inherits the team. Instead, he sees the 2024 season as a chance to learn from observing as much as it is to lead by example.
“Any way I can serve or just help the team overall, I want to lead and do that,” said Gilbert. “It’s an opportunity for me to learn and grow. Usually when you’re in charge, you don’t get to watch someone else model the job for you. I get that opportunity this year, and I’ve been trying to take that opportunity.”
Rather than focusing on what he plans to do when he takes the head position, Gilbert wasted no time in explaining the way he understands his role in the upcoming season.
“My job is to be the best assistant I possibly can be,” said Gilbert. “Coach Olmstead tells me the job of an assistant is to echo the vision of the head coach. I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that. I’ve been a head coach most of my professional life, so I appreciate that loyalty. I want to give that loyalty. I want to support Coach [Morel] with the overall program and the goals and the aims of the program.”
Gilbert looks to usher in his time as head coach only after he has done what he can to help Morel make the most of his final season in the position.
“My goals are absolutely first and foremost about right now this season,” said Gilbert. “I would love nothing more than to send him [Morel] out achieving another win at the bell game.”
With the season fast approaching, Gilbert and Morel echoed each other’s focus on utilizing the season to demonstrate how Wabash can pull off the transitional period to strengthen the program.
The summer gave Gilbert the chance to make his first big impact on the program. The unique circumstances surrounding the transition put recruiting in an awkward place heading into the summer, as prospective players needed to be convinced that they would fit well with not only the College but two head football coaches over their time at Wabash.
Rising to the occasion, Gilbert took charge of summer recruiting to assure families that the change wouldn’t negatively impact their collegiate career.
“The kids that are here right now are going to play for Jake for three years,” said Morel, “Jake [Gilbert] went into almost every house, met with every kid, got in front of him and said. ‘You get Don [Morel] for a year, but then I will be the head coach. This is what I’m about. This is who I am,’’’ I don’t think any college in America has ever done what we’re doing right now. And I think the parents of the kids find it completely bold and noble.”
In a transition that was rife with obstacles to tackle, Gilbert found returning to Wabash to be refreshingly comfortable.
“There’s a sense of duty and loyalty that is palpable,” said Gilbert. “It’s so real. Sometimes you drift and you just pay attention from afar, but when you come back and get connected with an alumnus or you come back to campus, it rushes right back. So just like riding a bike, that deep love and endearment you have for this place, it doesn’t take much to remind you.”