Tulane Football Reportedly Losing Defensive Line Coach to SEC Program

The Tulane Green Wave football team is set to start spring practice on March 9 under new head coach Will Hall. It’ll be the first look at the program since a bunch of staff turnover and player movement in the portal, both in losing and in gaining players. However, their coaching staff now has a bit of an unexpected void as Football Scoop reported that defensive line coach Landius Wilkerson is leaving to take a job coaching that unit with the Arkansas Razorbacks under first-year coach Ryan Silverfield, who formerly coached against the Green Wave with the Memphis Tigers. CBS Sports also confirmed the news.

Wilkerson will reportedly replace Marion Hobby on the Razorbacks staff, who left to take a job in the NFL. Wilkerson joined Tulane’s staff under former coach Jon Sumrall in his first year with the program, coaching the defensive line for the last two seasons. He came over from South Alabama under Major Applewhite’s staff. The d-line brought in dozens of new transfers last offseason – nearly all of whom left this year in the portal for NIL pay days, which is to be expected, especially pass rushers. But returning the position group coach certainly helped, and his sudden departure leaves the Green Wave in a bit of a bind ahead of spring practice.

Tulane’s defensive coaching staff has a considerable number of returning members, but Wilkerson was a big one. Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tayler Polk returns in a promoted role, as does spears coach Brayden Berezowitz and safeties coach Bryan Berezowitz – who are assistant pass game coordinators – and cornerbacks coach J.J. McCleskey. The newcomers are co-defensive coordinator and bandits coach Nate Fuqua and defensive assistant Bryan Whitehead. Now, Fuqua certainly could step in in the meantime, as he’s coaching one of the pass rushing roles as is. The bandit role is the rush end in the Green Wave’s 3-4 scheme.

That unit returns defensive ends Gerrod Henderson and Josh Lewis, nose tackles Derrick Shepard and Armoundous Cooley, defensive tackle Geordan Guidry, and bandit Jah’rie Garner, with freshmen Nik Alson and Palanding Drammeh. The newcomers are defensive linemen Reshad Stirling from the Houston Cougars, Jordan McAllister from New Hampshire, and Ed Smith from South Alabama – who, unfortunately, may have looked to follow his former coach to Tulane. Smith played for the Jaguars from 2020 to last season. It’s not the best news, but unavoidable as coaches look to elevate their careers and likely see a pay bump from the SEC. The portal window rules only apply to head coach turnover, so that group can be expected to remain under the new defensive line coach.