Former Florida star WR Ike Hilliard named Auburn’s wide receivers coach

Auburn adds Florida legend as their new wide receivers coach.

The Auburn Tigers have officially named their new wide receiver coach. Ike Hilliard who played for the Florida Gators and New York Giants in the NFL will now be over the young wide receiver corps.

Hilliard has coached at the NFL level since 2011. He last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008. He coached the Florida Tuskers as the wide receivers coach before moving to the NFL with the Miami Dolphins as the assistant position coach for WR. Hilliard was last with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

This makes it Hilliard’s first shot at coaching the collegiate level. The position came available when Eric Kiesau was promoted to offensive coordinator and moved over to coach the quarterbacks.

Hilliard has familiarity in the SEC as he played for Florida from 1994 to 1996. He was drafted by the Giants with the No. 7 overall pick of the 1997 NFL draft. As a Gator Hilliard was a national champion, All-American wide receiver, and is a member of the Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.

He will bring a wealth of knowledge to the group as someone who played the position at a high level and over a decade as an NFL position coach.

“Ike is exactly what we are looking for to lead our wide receivers room. His credentials really speak for themself – All-American in the SEC, NFL First Round pick, 12 years as a very productive player in the league, and decade-plus coaching in the NFL,” Harsin said. “Amongst all of those accomplishments, one other thing really stood out showing who Ike is as a person and leader. He made a commitment to his family that he would graduate from college, and he never lost sight of that, finishing up his degree while also being a full-time NFL coach. Ike, without a doubt, possesses the same values that we want our Auburn program to be known for – character, discipline, toughness, and conviction. We are excited to welcome Ike, his wife Lourdes, and their children to the Auburn family.”