Tag: Ike Hilliard

Former Auburn wide receivers coach to join Atlanta Falcons staff

Hilliard served as wide receivers coach for Auburn during the final season of the Bryan Harsin era.

A former Auburn assistant is heading back to the NFL to serve on a professional staff.

[autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag], who coached wide receivers and later served as interim offensive coordinator at Auburn during the 2022 season, has been hired by the Atlanta Falcons to coach wide receivers as part of new head coach Raheem Morris’ staff.

During his one season at Auburn, Tiger receivers reeled in 159 passes for 2,072 yards and nine touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus data, Auburn receivers dropped 17 passes in 2022 and earned an additional 1,077 yards after first contact.

[autotag]Ja’varrius Johnson[/autotag] was the team’s leading receiver with 493 yards and three touchdowns on 26 catches. [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] were next in line with a combined 531 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Hilliard returns to the NFL after spending 11 seasons as a wide receivers coach for a variety of teams such as the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, and Buffalo Bills. Before joining the coaching ranks, he played 12 seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Ex-Giant Ike Hilliard joins Falcons as wide receivers coach

Former New York Giants WR Ike Hilliard has been hired as the next wide receivers coach for the Atlanta Falcons.

Former New York Giants wide receiver Ike Hilliard will reportedly be joining newly hired head coach Raheem Morris’ staff with the Atlanta Falcons.

From NBC Sports:

Hilliard last coached in the league with Pittsburgh, serving as the club’s receivers coach from 2020-2021. Before that, he was Washington’s receivers coach from 2014-2019. He also served as Buffalo’s receivers coach for a year and Miami’s assistant receivers coach.

Hilliard and Morris were assistants on the same staff in 2012 and 2014 with Washington. Morris was also the Buccaneers’ defensive backs coach from 2007-2008 when Hilliard played his last two seasons for the club.

Hilliard was selected seventh overall in the 1997 NFL draft by the Giants where he played eight seasons. After leaving New York, Hilliard played four more years with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

In his 161-game NFL career, Hilliard, now 47, caught 546 passes for 6,397 yards with 35 touchdowns. The former Florida Gators star was a member of the Giants’ 2000 NFC Championship team that played in Super Bowl XXXV.

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Falcons to hire wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard, per report

The Falcons are expected to hire wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on Thursday

The Atlanta Falcons hired a handful of assistant coaches on Wednesday, and they aren’t done just yet. According to a report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the team is expected to hire wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard.

Hilliard, 47, is a former NFL wide receiver who appeared in 161 games over 12 seasons before starting his coaching career. From 2012-2021, Hilliard served as a wide receivers coach for three different NFL teams (Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, and Pittsburgh Steelers).

Apparently, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris thinks a former NFL wide receiver would make a better wide receivers coach than a QB coach. The team hired Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator and named former wide receivers coach T.J. Yates (a former NFL QB) the new quarterbacks coach.

Atlanta will formally introduce its new head coach on Monday, February 5 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Here’s an updated look at Raheem Morris’ coaching staff.

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Auburn suffers first decommit of Hugh Freeze era

This four-star prospect has re-opened his commitment in part due to changes made to Hugh Freeze’s staff.

Auburn football suffered a hit to its’ 2023 recruiting class on Thursday.

Four-star wide receiver [autotag]Adam Hopkins[/autotag] announced via Twitter that he has decommitted from Auburn and reopened his recruitment.

His decommitment is reportedly due to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s decision to not retain wide receivers coach [autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag], who played a key role in Hopkins’ recruitment. It was announced Wednesday that Freeze would keep only [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Zac Ethridge[/autotag] and [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag] on staff.

Hopkins committed to Auburn on Sept. 15, one week after taking his official visit to campus. Since his commitment, Hopkins visited Arkansas and Kansas State, in addition to being in town for Auburn’s win over Missouri.

Despite decommitting, Hopkins still has a high chance to sign with Auburn. According to On3, Auburn still has a 98% chance to land Hopkins’ signature.

Hopkins is a four-star wide receiver from Thomasville, Georgia. He is the nation’s No. 41 wide receiver for the 2023 cycle and the top receiver from the state of Georgia.

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Auburn offers No. 1 WR in the 2024 recruiting cycle

Auburn has entered the mix for 2024 five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo.

[autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag] may be recruiting high schoolers for the first time as a coach but he has hit the ground running.

He has already landed two four-star prospects in [autotag]Karmello English[/autotag] and [autotag]Daquayvious Sorey[/autotag]. Not only is English Auburn’s highest-rated commit, but prior to Hilliard joining Bryan Harsin’s staff the Tigers were not even in the picture to land him.

With the addition of those two to the Tigers 2023 class, Hilliard has turned his attention to the 2024 recruiting class and he is going after some big targets. On Monday he extended an offer to five-star [autotag]Ryan Wingo[/autotag], the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Wingo, who checks in at 6-foot-2 and 198-pounds, is from Saint Louis, Missouri, and already has over 30 college offers. He is ranked as the No. 6 overall player by the 247Sports composite and it is easy to see why.

He also runs track and his speed translated to the football field where he is not only a deep threat but can also make defenders miss in space.

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Legendary Gators WR to be Mr. Two Bits for season opener against Utah

A Gators legend from the ’90s will don a yellow shirt and a blue and orange tie as the first Mr. Two Bits of the Billy Napier era on Saturday.

It wouldn’t be a Florida Gators game with the Two Bits cheer, and the honorary leader of it on Saturday will be former UF wide receiver [autotag]Reidel Anthony[/autotag], who earned All-America honors in the 1990s while playing for [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag].

Since 2013, Florida has had celebrity dress up in the same yellow shirt and blue and orange tie made famous by Gators superfan George Edmondson to lead the Two Bits chant, and Anthony is the latest Gators legend to claim the honor. [autotag]Percy Harvin[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Doering[/autotag] and [autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag] are among the receivers that have been Mr. Two Bits.

An exciting player in college — he once lept into the stands of Tennessee‘s Neyland Stadium to celebrate a touchdown during a 31-0 rout of the Volunteers — Anthony’s routine should be one of the more explosive in recent memory. He’s not letting anyone know his plans, but the Head Ball Coach’s words of wisdom will be in the back of his mind.

“I haven’t gotten that far yet. First, I need to get the rules and regulations,” Anthony said to the UAA. “Coach Spurrier used to always tell me, ‘You know, Reidel, you’re the only one who ended up in the NCAA’s what-not-to-do video they show teams every year.’ I made it three years in a row, so I guess I better see what they allow.”

Single-game tickets have been sold out for the season opener, so there should be a good crowd in the Swamp for Anthony’s Two Bits. There’s excitement in the air for not only the start of the 2022 season but also for the start of the Billy Napier era at UF. Anthony couldn’t pass up a chance to add to that atmosphere.

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Expect to see more refined WR play under Ike Hilliard

Receivers coach Ike Hilliard could be the boost that Auburn’s passing game needs.

[autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s staff received a facelift over the offseason, as two coaches were promoted to coordinators, and two more were added to the staff.

One of those additions is former Florida wide receiver and 12-year NFL veteran, [autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag].

Hilliard served as a wide receivers coach for four different NFL franchises, as well as the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League after retiring from the NFL in 2008. He looks to take on a new challenge by venturing into the college ranks for the first time in his career.

What can Auburn fans expect to see from the wide receivers under Hilliard’s watch? Current SEC Network analyst and former teammate of Hilliard at Florida, Chis Doering, weighs in.

In a recent episode of the local radio show, Sportscall, Doering says that he expects to see Hilliard apply what he learned during his days at Florida to Auburn’s wide receiver room.

“(At Florida) we were very precise with the way that we ran routes, proper depth, proper footwork, and the amount of breaks,” Doering said. “You are going to see more refined play at the receiver position because of what Ike Hilliard brings in. Not only the coaching style that he learned, but his playing experience and being able to communicate what it actually takes to be successful to play that position in this league.”

What will Auburn need to do offensively to be successful in 2022? Auburn will have a few targets this season at wide receiver, but no one carried a majority of the workload last season. Doering says that Auburn will need another offensive play maker, in addition to [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], to step up and provide relief for the junior running back.

“Tank Bigsby is a monster, but he can not do it alone at the running back position,” Doering says. “Figuring out a way to become more balanced and be more dynamic in the passing game is important. Maybe it is not a bad position for Auburn. Traditionally, in the years where people have not expected much, (Auburn) has actually surprised some people.”

[autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] is Auburn’s returning receiving yards leader. In 2021, he caught 40 passes for 527 yards and a touchdown.

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Auburn Football: Contract details released for three new assistant coaches

Contract details emerge for three position coaches on Bryan Harsin’s staff.

Auburn Football and head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] added a handful of members to the staff for the 2022 season, which included three new position coaches.

Defensive Line coach [autotag]Jimmy Brumbaugh[/autotag], as well as receivers coach [autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag] and linebackers coach [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag], were hired in an effort to produce a boost to their respective positions in both on-field production and recruiting.

Now that they are settled with Auburn, details of their contracts have been released.

AL.com received the details for the contracts of Brumbaugh, Hilliard, and Robinson through an open records request. According to the report, those three coaches have signed two-year contracts that will run through January 31, 2024. However, the salaries of those contracts all vary.

  • Brumbaugh, who played defensive line for the Tigers from 1995-99, will earn $625,000, with a base salary of $250,000 and a bonus of $187,500 for personal appearances and endorsements.
  • Hilliard is set to earn $600,000 per year, $250,000 in annual base salary and $175,000 in endorsements and personal appearances.
  • Finally, Robinson will begin with a salary of $525,000, which will increase to $550,000 in year two of the contract. His endorsement and personal appearance pay will begin at $275,000 and will jump to $300,000 in his second season at Auburn.

Brunbaugh, Hilliard, and Robinson join coordinators Eric Kiesau and Jeff Schemedding as new additions to Bryan Harsin’s staff for the 2022 season.

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Auburn set to host junior college speedster wide receiver

Junior college wide receiver Semaj James will visit the Plains on June 6th.

On Tuesday, Butler Community College (KS) wide receiver Semaj James announced via Twitter that he would be visiting the Plains on June 6.

James was listed as a wide receiver coming out of high school according to 247Sports. The speedster attended John Paul II Catholic in Tallahassee, Florida. Several programs that extended offers to the Florida native were LSU, Maryland, Missouri, and Baylor among others. Auburn showed interest in James, but they did not offer him out of high school.

Although he received multiple power five offers, he chose to attend Fort Scott Community College (KS). In his freshman season with the Hounds, he hauled in 27 receptions for 306 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He was also a contributor on special teams. James had 12 returns for 264 yards and a touchdown.

After spending one season in Fort Scott, he will now make the move to El Dorado to play for Butler Community College (KS). He will join a Grizzlies squad that struggled last season as they finished the season with a 1-9 record. However, the school has produced talent over the years. Several NFL players like Chris Carson, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Bruce Irvin all played for the Grizzlies.

The Tigers have had some uncertainty at the wide receiver position over the years. Wide receivers coach [autotag]Ike Hilliard [/autotag] would love to add a player like James to the Tigers’ offense in 2023. He is dynamic and his skillset can present a challenge for opposing defenses. James is set to graduate in December, so he would be an early enrollee for the Tigers if he elects for the Plains.

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5 former Florida Gators who left school at the right time

Pat Dooley lists five Gators who were right to leave school when they did.

In the world of college athletics – which right now is both confusing and rewarding – careers are made by decisions.

It starts early with athletes deciding where they will visit, then where they will commit and finally where they sign. Nowadays, it’s a yearly decision about whether to stay or jump into the transfer portal.

Finally, it’s a decision for the elite (and some not so elite) to turn pro early or use all of their eligibility.

[autotag]Trinity Thomas[/autotag] is facing that decision even though she has been amazing for four full years. Because she has a pandemic year she can still use, Thomas could return for a fifth season and use it as a bridge to the next Olympics.

Thomas would be one of those athletes in Florida history who could choose to leave and we would all say, “Thanks.” The voice would be loud, too, because she is in the argument for greatest gymnast ever at Florida and perhaps the NCAA.

We’ll wait for her to announce, but while we do that, let us look at 10 UF athletes who left early and most Gator fans just wanted to give them a hug and wish them well. They had done enough.

Today, the first five of the top 10 of those athletes. Tomorrow, the second five plus a few that we were wondering what they were thinking.