Landius Wilkerson joins the Arkansas staff from Tulane, where he served each of the last two seasons as the defensive line coach.
The Green Wave made their first appearance in the College Football Playoff during the 2025 season after winning the American Conference championship game to claim their 11th victory of the season. Wilkerson’s defensive line was part of one of the nation’s best pressure units with the Wave recording 36.0 sacks to rank 16th nationally and 22nd nationally in tackles for loss with 85.0. First-Team All-American Conference DL Santana Hopper led the defensive line with 4.5 sacks and was one of four Tulane players ranked in the top 20 in the American Conference. Hopper led all American Conference d-linemen with 10.5 tackles for loss and ranked fifth in the league overall. DL Tre’Von McAlpine picked up second-team all-conference honors after posting 35 stops with a pair of TFLs and one sack.
In Wilkerson’s first season in New Orleans, Tulane went 9-5 with an appearance in the American Conference championship game. Tulane’s defense was one of the best in the American Conference, finishing second in total defense and second in sacks. Three members of the Green Wave’s defensive line earned all-conference recognition following the season with Patrick Jenkins earning first-team honors alongside Kam Hamilton and Adin Huntington, who earned third-team accolades. Jenkins and Hamilton led the squad with 4.5 sacks apiece with Huntington recording four sacks of his own. The trio also combined for 17.5 tackles for loss.
Wilkerson led the defensive line at South Alabama for three seasons, developing Bubba Thomas into a four-year starter and eventual Super Bowl LX champion with the Seattle Seahawks. Wilkerson’s first d-line was led by Thomas as a freshman with the Georgia native earning honorable mention All-Sun Belt Conference after 49 tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Thomas again picked up an honorable mention all-conference nod in 2022 and wrapped up his career as a second-team All-Sun Belt Conference member.
During Wilkerson’s time in Mobile, the Jaguars won 10 games in 2022 and received bowl bids in each of his last two seasons, including a win over Eastern Michigan in the 2023 68 Ventures Bowl.
Wilkerson spent one season at FCS level Chattanooga, coaching the Mocs’ defensive line while serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator. The team played just one game during the fall before
He coached defensive ends the previous two seasons at Jacksonville State, helping the Gamecocks finish .500 or better both years including going 9-4 — with a 7-1 league record to claim the Ohio Valley Conference championship — after advancing to the second round of the FCS playoffs in 2018. That fall, his efforts contributed to JSU finishing second nationally in third-down conversion defense while also ranking among the top 15 in tackles for loss (seventh) and total defense (15th).
He was an assistant at Division III Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala. from 2010-17, a stretch that saw the Hawks finish with a winning record each year en route to a 42-12 overall mark highlighted by a 31-5 record in the USA South Conference over his final five seasons. Wilkerson helped Huntingdon win the league title after going 7-0 in both 2015 and 2017, with the program competing in the NCAA Division III playoffs each of his last three years on the staff featuring a victory in the first round in 2015.
Under his direction, defensive lineman D.J. Chappell became the Hawks’ first All-American in school history in 2012 while d-lineman Heath McCray was an honorable mention All-America selection in 2015. In five years, Wilkerson had one individual named the USA South Defensive Rookie of the Year and six all-conference performers.
As an offensive lineman at Alabama State, Wilkerson was a team captain and three-year starter, earning All-Southwestern Athletic Conference honors while helping the Hornets claim the league title in 2004. He also participated in track before receiving his undergraduate degree from ASU in mathematics education in 2005. He earned his master’s degree in instructional leadership from Tennessee Tech in 2008.
Wilkerson began his coaching career as an assistant at McMinn Central HS (Tenn.), coaching at his alma mater for five seasons.
He and his wife Melody have two daughters, McKenzie and Ava.
The Wilkerson File
Birthdate: Aug. 3, 1982
Hometown: Etowah, Tenn.
High School: McMinn Central HS (Tenn.)
College: Alabama State, 2005
Family: Wife – Melody; Daughters – McKenzie and Ava
Coaching Experience
2005-09 McMinn Central HS (Tenn.)
2010-17 Huntingdon College – Defensive Line
2018-19 Jacksonville State – Defensive Ends
2020 Chattanooga – Defensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator
2021-23 South Alabama – Defensive Line
2024-25 Tulane – Defensive Line
Playing Experience
2000-04 Alabama State
