BOERNE — “The first thing you need to know about me is that I’m a very private person.”

It’s an unusual way to greet a group of guests, especially considering the source.

Few people do friendly better than Frank Wilson, who in his second season as the head football coach at UTSA has earned high marks for his outgoing and approachable nature.

In his office, on the campus, anywhere around San Antonio.

But at his home? Different story.

It’s not that he’s distant and aloof, but clearly the affable Wilson is a little uncomfortable with the notion of strangers invading his turf.

They have come to get a behind-the-scenes look at the man behind the whistle, the recruiting wiz who made a splash in his first season by taking the Roadrunners to their first-ever bowl game.

Wilson granted the interview request, albeit a bit reluctantly.

More Information Frank Wilson Position: Head football coach, UTSA Record at UTSA: 6-7 Hired: January 2016 to replace Larry Coker. Age: 43 Family: Wife Tiffany, children Alaina, Sabree, and Frank IV Hometown: New Orleans College: Nicholls State (1997), Southern-New Orleans (2002) High School: St. Augustine (La.) High School (1992) Previous coaching/administrative experience: LSU (2010-15), Tennessee (2009), Southern Miss (2008), Mississippi (2005-07), New Orleans Public Schools System (2004), O.P. Walker (La.) High School (2000-03), Karr (La.) High School (1997-99), Nicholls State (1996).

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“This is my refuge, my sanctuary, my sigh of relief” after a typically long, pressure-filled day as a Division I head football coach, said Wilson, the father of three, ages 15-24, all of whom live at home.

“When I’m out here I’m able to get away from it all. I’m just dad,” he said.

He laments his neighborhood’s rapid growth, with new homes springing up all around. He says he used to be able to fire his shotgun at clay targets on his property until someone called the police.

“We’re kind of in our own little world out here, secluded, which is the way I like it,” he said of his house on eight acres outside of Boerne. “When I moved out here, none of these show homes, this subdivision, was being built. For several months I sat out here by myself.”

A city boy growing up in New Orleans, Wilson says he’s “country at heart.”

“I’ve always been an outdoors person even though growing up I didn’t do a whole bunch of outdoor activities,” he said. “The little fishing I did was with a cane pole in the Mississippi River.

“We have fox, rabbits, whole families of deer out here. It’s nature at its best.”

Home sweet home

For Wilson, coaching is a labor of love. But sometimes it’s just labor, which might explain why the 43-year-old former LSU assistant guards his privacy when he’s at home.

On this bright summer morning, by the time he greets his visitors outside his gated community at 8 o’clock, his day is already three hours old.

He’s already driven to San Antonio to drop off his son, Frank IV, whom they call Quad, for football workouts at Central Catholic High School. He’s already cut up a bowl of fruit for breakfast with his family, and sipped his first cup of chai tea on the patio with its scenic Texas Hill Country view.

The tour begins near the outdoor kitchen and entertainment area and is about to go inside when Wilson discovers he’s been locked out.

He follows with a bizarre, high-pitched animal-like call signaling his daughter Alaina to let him in.

“I have a different call for everybody,” Wilson says.

Alaina opens the door, revealing a large house with earthy, natural tiles and walls.

Described by Internet web sites as a two-story, 6,000-square foot hacienda-style home “with a warm and welcoming feel,” the house is airy and open, with vaulted ceilings, hand-carved stone fireplaces, large picture windows and an open kitchen area.

The outside features a kitchen and entertainment retreat with a grill, an infinity pool with a waterfall and heated spa.

In other words, it’s about what you’d expect for a coach with a $675,000-a-year salary. But it’s not over the top.

On a wall in one of the home’s three living areas are the words “Family, Love” and “Laugh” surrounding photos of Frank, wife Tiffany and children Alaina, Sabree and Frank IV.

The family blesses every meal with a prayer.

In his large study is a desk with computer, UTSA and LSU memorabilia on the shelves and walls, including a photo of the celebration following UTSA’s season-opening victory over Alabama State in 2016, Wilson’s first game.

The coach chartered two busloads of family members — about 150 people in all — from New Orleans so they could share in the historic event.

“My dad was the oldest of 12. My mom was one of nine. I have five siblings,” Wilson said. “Everybody has five, six, seven kids. My family is huge.”

Also on the wall are framed newspaper articles, including one from the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2012 featuring the state’s 25 most influential people.

“The old coach got in at No. 24,” he said, still sounding a bit surprised at the honor.

Details, details

Wilson’s discipline, attention to detail and organizational skills already have already become the stuff of legend at UTSA.

He turned a room near his office at the school into his recruiting headquarters, complete with hundreds of 2x6-inch magnets attached to wall-to-wall whiteboard featuring each recruit’s name, height, weight and 40-yard dash time. They are arranged by position and color coded depending on class and where they are in the recruiting process.

At home, those same skills draw laughter and raised eyebrows.

“They tease me a lot about it, tell me I’m obsessed, that I have OCD,” he said of his family.

His wife and kids point to Wilson’s closet as evidence. Everything is neatly organized, from jeans to white-collar shirts. Everything is color-coordinated with matching hangers.

He’s just as disciplined on family vacations, which have become increasingly rare in the Wilson household.

“You’ve still got to have a schedule,” he said. “I can’t operate without a schedule.”

Tiffany admits she’s not as organized as her husband, which probably is why he sends her a to-do list every day from his cell phone.

“I do it in a nice way,” he said. “I don’t want to tell her what to do. It’s just a reminder.”

Tiffany said she’s used to being a coach’s wife by now. The long hours and demands on his time are standard.

They’ve known each other since they were kids growing up in New Orleans. When he was 6 and playing Pop Warner football, she was a 4-year-old cheerleader for the team.

They started dating in high school.

“He’s always been very disciplined,” she said of her husband. “He’s learned how to relax a little now. He didn’t used to. He and the kids play basketball and hang out by the pool. And he loves to grill. But he never really takes a day off. He’s always working on something.”

Alaina, the oldest, is a cosmetologist while Sabree will be a sophomore at Nicholls State in the fall where she plays basketball.

They said their father at times is all football, all the time, but can be a regular dad, too. To a point.

“Everything’s pretty competitive around here,” Alaina said.

Frank said his younger daughter likes to challenge him to a game of hoops in the driveway.

“I told her when she’s 50 maybe she can beat me,” he said.

Said Sabree: “He cheats.”

Life-changing event

Wilson was in the fifth grade when his father, Frank Wilson Jr., died at age 35 in a car accident. The tragedy became a transformative event in his life.

Wilson said he grew up poor “but not dirt poor where we didn’t have food” in a low-income area of New Orleans called Algiers.

After his father died, his mother was left to raise Frank and his five siblings.

“I probably should have had therapy,” he said. “I was confused. I was angry. I was bitter. We buried him that weekend and on Monday, it was like, OK, now go to school.

“I’d go in the bathroom and cry every day. I didn’t understand why my dad was taken away from us.”

Wilson said he overcame the death of his father, “because I wanted to make him proud.”

“He was an educated man, he ran for city council and was very well respected,” Wilson recalls. “Over the years I’d hear people tell stories about him and how awesome he was. To me, he walked on water.

“Some say it doesn’t matter what people think about you. But it does matter. I wanted to live up to the standard he set.”

That’s why Wilson says, despite his hectic schedule, he makes a point of sitting down to breakfast and dinner with his family as often as possible.

“My job is so demanding I have to balance my life,” he said. “To be a good father, a good husband is something I take very seriously.”

Wilson looks at his watch. It’s 8:45 a.m., time to head to campus, to face the day.

There are meetings to attend. And a detailed schedule to keep.

jwhisler@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnfwhisler