Tag: wide receiver coach

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.”

Report: Detroit Lions expected to hire Antwaan Randle El as WR coach

The Detroit Lions have hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive assistant and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antwaan Randle El as their next wide receivers coach.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Peliserro, the Detroit Lions are expected to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive assistant and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antwaan Randle El as their next wide receivers coach.

Randle El will replace Robert Prince who joined the Houston Texans staff after seven years with the Lions.

A duel-threat quarterback at Indiana, Randle El’s elite athleticism led to him being drafted in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2002 draft by the Steelers, despite needing to transition to wide receiver.

Randle El was a swiss army knife for the Steelers, lining up at multiple spots on offense, was their starting kick and punt returner, and was the key catalyst on several trick plays, including throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL (2005). Randle El was also a first-team All-Pro selection in 2005 as a punt returner.

In 2006, he joined the Washington Football Team but after four years returned to Pittsburgh for his final NFL season. After sitting out the 2011 season, Randle El officially retired in 2012.

After retirement, Randle El worked as an analyst for Big Ten Network as well as covering preseason games in Washington. Additionally, he spent time working with his foundation — including time at the Virginia private school he helped co-found — as well as spending time with his seven (!) children.

In 2019, Randle El began his NFL coaching career, joining Bruce Arians (his WR coach and offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh) and the Buccaneers as an offensive assistant, focusing closely on the wide receivers group. In 2019, the Bucs’ led the NFL in passing offense (302.8 receiving yards a game), and this past season they finished second (289.1 receiving ypg).

While Arians was a big draw in getting Randle El to Tampa Bay, he has larger aspirations.

“I do at one point want to be a head coach. It’s a lot that goes into that,” Randle El said via The Athletic’s Greg Auman (paid). “Do I feel like I’ll be great at it? Yep. It’s just a matter of time, of getting the years, the time under my belt, and really understanding. It’s a totally different ballgame, playing and coaching. You have a better view of it from a coach’s perspective. Being able to teach and put it all together … it’s not just football, it’s life: building relationships and networks you’re going to have when you’re done coaching.”

Currently, the Lions only have four wide receivers under contract: Quintez Cephus (who was a rookie last season), Geronimo Allison (who opted out in 2020), as well as Tom Kennedy and Victor Bolen — who were practice squad players for the Lions in 2020 and earned futures contracts this offseason.

WATCH: Texas’ new coach Andre Coleman scores touchdown in Super Bowl

Earlier this month, Texas announced the hiring of Andre Coleman as the teams wide receivers coach.

Texas officially announced the hiring of Andre Coleman as the new wide receivers coach earlier this month.

Coleman has quite the resume of experience with coaching, but did you know he played five seasons in the National Football League as a wide receiver and kick returner? More notably, Coleman played in Super Bowl XXIX as a rookie.

Coleman set many then-records in Super Bowl XXIX. Most kickoff returns in a game (8), most return yards/total yards (244). Although records are made to be broken, Coleman is still tied for the second-longest kickoff return in Super Bowl history.