The first time Milwaukee native Josh Oglesby heard the San José State University name was in 2010 when #11-ranked University of Wisconsin football team prepared to host the Spartans in Camp Randall Stadium.
Oglesby, listed as the Badgers' #1 right tackle on the depth chart wearing #67, was part of a massive offensive line with 12 players measuring at least 6-foot-3 and weighing more than 300 pounds.
"I remember San Jose State was a tough football team. They weren't intimidated by walking into an 80,000-seat stadium and playing against a ranked team. They were ready to go," said the 6-foot-7 Oglesby about the Badgers' 27-14 win over the Spartans in an ESPN televised non-conference game on September 11, 2010.
Fast-forward almost 10 full years and the 2011 University of Wisconsin graduate who majored in sociology is the new San Jose State University offensive line coach.
OGLESBY'S VISION FOR 2020 SPRING PRACTICE
Seeing him at spring practice, Oglesby fits right in with head coach Brent Brennan's off-season plan player-wise to get bigger and stronger. Brennan, who was the Spartans' wide receivers coach in the 2010 Wisconsin game, can say the same about his coaching staff.
Quickly learning the personnel and the scheme, his plan this spring is "… to get better technically, improve our technique, and create confidence – confidence individually and as a unit knowing they can support the team and be the backbone of the team." He wants to put the best five offensive linemen on the field and if that means moving a player from one position to a new one, Oglesby wants to find the group that "…gives us the best chance to win."
Based on his background and the small world of college football, Oglesby seemed destined to be at San Jose State.
SEVEN RAYS OF SPARTAN LIGHTS FROM BILL WALSH TO BRENT BRENNAN
"It's kind of a big circle that brings it all back here. So, maybe this home and I didn't know it," said the middle son of three boys. His dad, Ken Oglesby, became an engineer after a tryout with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and his mom was a dancer and a high school cheerleader.
He was recruited out of St. Francis High School in suburban Milwaukee by former Spartan offensive line coach Bob Bostad in 2007. Bostad, the Spartans offensive line coach in 1997 and 1998 when Dave Baldwin was San Jose State's head coach, coached Oglesby to first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 2011.
Baldwin was as an assistant coach at Oregon State for the 2015 through 2017 seasons and shared an office with Oglesby, a graduate assistant working primarily with the offensive tackles.
Brennan and current San Jose State assistant coaches Kevin Cummings, offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven and defensive coordinator Derrick Odum were full-time coaches on those Oregon State teams during Oglesby's graduate assistantship with the Beavers.
CREDITS MOM FOR PURSUING A COACHING CAREER
Add in being selected for a Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship with the Oakland Raiders in 2016 and the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 and the connection to San Jose State fits a man his size.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Oglesby had a free agent tryout with the Washington Redskins in 2012 before embarking on a coaching career at his mom's encouragement and insistence. He was a graduate assistant at his alma mater for the 2013 and 2014 seasons before heading west to Oregon State.
"My mom (Katherine Oglesby) was really the driving force behind it (coaching). You know, she said, 'your plight may be someone else's blessing. You know a lot about this game and an awful lot about the position. So, why not give back to the game by helping people,'" he said.
"I never thought it would be would reach the level that it has now. To be honest, it's the best. I can't even call it a job, but for lack of a better term, it's the best job in the world."
Oglesby spent the 2018 college football season at UTEP (Texas El Paso) as a quality control offensive line assistant. His first venture into professional football coaching was in the spring of 2019 as the tight ends coach for the San Antonio Commanders of the eight-team Alliance of American Football. He also was an assistant offensive line coach for the XFL's Seattle Dragons in January 2020 before joining the Spartans at the beginning of the month.
YOUR FIRST-HAND LOOK
San Jose State fans can see Oglesby and the offensive linemen unit as soon as Friday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m., when the Spartans are inside CEFCU Stadium for the first time in spring practice and in pads. There is no admission charge to watch practice and parking is available in the 7th Street Park & Ride Lot.
Season ticket renewals and new purchases for the 2020 San José State football season can be made by calling or by texting RENEW or NEW to (408) 924-7589.
