OSHKOSH, Wis. (NBC 26) — Rich Worsell could consider himself the reverse Ted Lasso.
"That's what my wife jokes about all the time," the UW-Oshkosh offensive coordinator said. "I love that show. I wholeheartedly agree."
He's unique, for sure. Worsell - a native of England - has been coaching college football in the United States for two decades.
After playing and coaching football in college in Wales, he took a job doing offshore brokering for an investment firm. However, Worsell quickly decided that gig wasn't for him.
"I was like 'My passion lays within this sport and being able to teach people,'" he said. "I started applying for jobs and all of a sudden landed one and thought 'Well I'll try this for two years and see if i can make it.'"
"And 20 years later, here I am," he smiled.
Worsell has held jobs across the country, including a stint at nearby Lakeland University. When he applied at UWO last summer, head coach Peter Jennings knew he had to have him.
"He's such a great recruiter," Jennings said. "He's such a great offensive mind. And he's just a great person and great mentor to have for our young men."
That recruiting ability has helped the Titans land one of the top international quarterbacks on the market.
Josh Allsebrook - the quarterback of Great Britain's national team - enrolled at UWO this semester and has been taking part in spring practices with the team. Worsell is a major reason why he chose Oshkosh.
"He's a big name out in the UK so it was good to know that I was coming to a reputable coach," Allsebrook said.
"Josh is really humble but he's the youngest ever international athlete from Great Britain," Worsell said. "And fast forward four years with the Olympics adding flag football, he could very well be the Great Britain quarterback for the Olympic team."
The sky is the limit. But for now, Allsebrook will have to work his way up.
He's looking up the depth chart at star QB Kobe Berghammer, a three-year starter who still has two years of eligibility remaining.
"At the minute I'm just focused on getting myself up to the standard that I want to play at," Allsebrook said. "And I also want to be the best player and best teammate that I can be. If Kobe's going to have the starting role this year then I want to be the best backup to him."
Worsell believes - eventually - Allsebrook will be the starter at Oshkosh, which has a rich tradition of great quarterback play.
"I think he's going to have a great career here," Worsell said. "I'm excited about that."
But, it's also about more than just football. It's about opportunity and, ultimately, the American Dream.
"Coming over here changed my life," Worsell said of his move to the U.S. "The last 20 years have just been life-changing for me. The friends I've made. I met my wife.
"Hopefully Josh is going to be the same way," he added.
Allsebrook said he first fell in love with American football on a vacation to Florida as a kid, when he and his family went to see a Buccaneers game.
He's in rare are in the NCAA: Worsell believes he's just the third English quarterback to play college football in the United States.
