From HC To The CFP: Catching Up With Landius Wilkerson
MONTGOMERY, Ala.- The phrase "climbing the ranks" is discussed heavily in today's athletic climate, particularly surrounding coaches and their potential off-season moves. That said, few have climbed the ranks as quickly and successfully as Tulane University's Defensive Line Coach and former member of the Huntingdon Coaching Staff, Landius Wilkerson.
In his second season on the Green Wave's staff, Tulane was selected to the College Football Playoff, earning the 11th seed and a trip to Oxford, Mississippi for a battle with the #6 ranked Rebels. Prior to joining the staff at Tulane, Wilkerson served as the defensive ends coach at the University of South Alabama from 2021-2023, contributing to the program's first ever post-season victory in the 2023 season. Before arriving at USA, Wilkerson served as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Tennessee- Chattanooga in 2020. In the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Landius served as the defensive ends coach at Jacksonville State University, helping the Gamecocks finish .500 or better both years including going 9-4 — with a 7-1 mark to claim the Ohio Valley Conference championship — after advancing to the second round of the FCS playoffs in 2018.
Wilkerson got his coaching career started at Huntingdon, serving on staff from 2010-17, a stretch that saw the Hawks finish with a winning record each year, including posting a 42-12 overall mark highlighted by a 31-5 record in the USA South Conference over his last five seasons. Wilkerson helped HC win the league title after going 7-0 in both 2015 and '17, with the program competing in the NCAA Division III playoffs each of his last three years on the staff featuring a victory in the opening round in 2015.
Under his direction, D.J. Chappell became the Hawks' first All-American in school history in 2012 while Heath McCray was an honorable mention All-America selection in 2015. In five years, he had one individual named the USA South Defensive Rookie of the Year and six all-conference performers as well.
Wilkerson was a team captain and three-year starter as an offensive lineman at Alabama State, earning all-Southwestern Athletic Conference honors while helping the Hornets claim the league title in 2004.
Wilkerson — who would go on to add a master's degree in instructional leadership from Tennessee Tech in 2008 — also was an assistant at McMinn Central (Tenn.) High for five seasons.
When asked about his rapid elevation in the college football coaching carousel, Wilkerson shared "It's been an incredible journey. None of it would be possible without Mike Turk and Huntingdon College football giving me my first college job in 2010. My 8 or so years at HC changed my life as a man and a coach. I certainly learned a lot of life lessons there."
Continuing our discussion into the principles Division III instilled into him, Landius told us that "I learned everything I know about college coaching at Huntingdon. I learned how to recruit year round and how to develop and retain players, which has become more essential at this level with the transfer portal and NIL. I feel like my time in Division III gives me a leg up on most coaches."
Coach Wilkerson could not give Huntingdon Head Coach Mike Turk enough credit when speaking on his experience as a Hawk, stating that "Coach Turk is a great leader of men and mentor to coaches. You can't work in the office and not learn how to be a better man, better coach and better leader. Turk is among the best head coaches I have been around, and his record and success are not by accident. He runs a smooth program from top to bottom and has done a great job of laying a strong foundation and building on it over time. Coaches Goodyear and Hicks have been there with him in building the program into what it currently is, and these three individuals have been the glue to it all.
Heading into the program's first CFP appearance, the Green Wave are set for a rematch with the Ole Miss Rebels. On September 20th, Tulane was defeated 45-10 in Oxford, but Coach Wilkerson prefers the opportunity to face an already familiar opponent, sharing that "This matchup is the best case for us. It eliminates some of the unknowns with playing a road playoff game. We have been on this trip this season and faced this team, so we don't have to worry about the "wow" factor of going to a new stadium for the first time.
When asked about his former assistant coach, Mike Turk shared that "I am not surprised by the success that Coach Wilkerson has enjoyed since he left Huntingdon. In fact, I can't believe that we kept him as long as we did. What stands out about him to me is the natural way that he connects with the players that he coaches. The relationships that he builds with them is easy to see, the way he cares for them and loves them allows him to coach them the way that they need to be coached. Wilk is an excellent football coach, a tremendous recruiter, a great builder of men, and an even better human being. The sky is the limit for him, because he does it the right way. "
Landius and the Green Wave kick off for the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday, December 20th at 2:30 PM. Safe to say, the Huntingdon Family will be cheering on Coach Wilk and Tulane as they make their first ever playoff appearance.