Hicks, Hobby and Johnson named to Hogs’ staff

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Three more assistant coaches have been named to Head Coach Ryan Silverfield’s first Arkansas staff with Eddie Hicks named the cornerbacks coach, Marion Hobby the defensive line coach and David Johnson the running backs coach.

Hicks comes to Arkansas from Cincinnati, where he coached the Bearcats’ cornerbacks last season. The defense allowed 24.8 points per game to help the Bearcats earn an invitation to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Hicks spent two seasons at LSU as the Tigers’ lead defensive analyst (2023-24). The Tigers won 19 games during his two seasons, including a 10-3 mark in 2023. He coached at Jacksonville State as the Gamecocks’ cornerbacks coach in 2022 with the team going 9-2 in their final season in FCS. The defense allowed just 216.0 passing yards per game while intercepting eight passes.

Over his three seasons at Charlotte coaching the cornerbacks, the 49ers set a school record for wins (7) and the program’s longest winning streak (5) while also earning the first bowl game in school history with a trip to the 2019 Bahamas Bowl. The 2019 49ers defense was the second-best against the pass in Conference USA, allowing 189.0 yards per game.

Hicks returned to his alma mater, Southern Miss, in 2018 as the Golden Eagles’ cornerbacks coach. His work helped the defense lead Conference USA and rank 10th nationally in passing defense, yielding just 175.6 yards per game. The Eagles’ 14 interceptions ranked fourth in the league with Ky’el Hemby’s six picks paced C-USA.

Hicks earned his first on-field coaching position at Murray State in 2015 as the Racers’ defensive backs coach before moving onto Austin Peay, where he coached for two seasons (2016-17). At Austin Peay, he was part of one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football as the Govs bounced back from consecutive winless seasons to go 8-4 in 2017. That team snapped a 29-game losing streak in 2017 en route to the program’s first winning record in a decade.

He began his coaching career in 2012 as a graduate assistant at Alcorn State before spending a year at Cincinnati as a graduate assistant in 2013 and a year at Cal in 2014 as a defensive quality control.

Hicks played at Southern Miss, graduating in 2009. He registered 238 tackles and 13 interceptions during his career, earning All-Conference USA accolades in 2008 and 2009 with an All-Freshman team nod in 2006. His Golden Eagles teams played in four bowl games during his tenure, winning the GMAC Bowl in 2006 and New Orleans Bowl in 2008.

He and his wife, JoTrina, have two sons – Eddie IV and Jayvion – and one daughter – Emani.

The veteran Hobby brings a wealth of college and NFL experience to the Arkansas staff.

He spent the 2025 season at Tennessee, his alma mater, serving as a defensive analyst for the Volunteers. He helped the Vols rank fifth nationally in sacks per game (3.0) and 13th in tackles for loss per game (6.8).

Prior to his most recent return to Rocky Top, Hobby coached in the NFL for eight seasons. His last stop was leading the defensive line for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2021-24. He helped the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI in 2022 after winning the AFC North division in 2021 and 2022. He coached the defensive line for the Miami Dolphins for two seasons (2019-20) and the d-line for the Jacksonville Jaguars for two seasons (2017-18).

From 2011-2016, Hobby served as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Clemson, helping the program reach three Orange Bowls, two College Football Playoffs and win the 2016 National Championship. The Tigers finished in the Top 25 in all six seasons Hobby was on staff, and from 2012-2016, Clemson’s defense totaled a national-best 597 tackles for loss.

Hobby was the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Duke from 2008-10. His first Blue Devils squad allowed 23.4 points per game – the program’s fewest in 20 seasons – holding three opponents to less than 10 points for the first time since 1976.

Prior to joining Duke, Hobby spent two seasons coaching the defensive line for the New Orleans Saints in his first stint in the NFL. His first Saints team in 2006 won the NFC South Division with a 10-6 record on their way to the NFC Championship game.

Hobby earned his first defensive line coaching job at Ole Miss in 1999, where he coached the Rebels for six seasons before taking over the defensive line at Clemson for a single season in 2005. The Rebels appeared in four bowl games during his tenure and shared the SEC West Division in 2003. His season at Clemson yielded an 8-4 mark and a final ranking inside the AP’s final poll of the season.

He began his coaching career at UT Martin as a strength and conditioning coach in 1995 before moving to Louisiana-Lafayette for two seasons. He returned to Tennessee in 1998 as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, helping the Volunteers to a perfect 13-0 national championship season capped by a Fiesta Bowl win.

Hobby played at Tennessee for the legendary Vols head coach and former Arkansas assistant coach Johnny Majors from 1986-89 as a four-year letterman and a three-year starter. Hobby was team captain in 1989 as a senior leading his team to an 11-1 SEC championship season capped by a Cotton Bowl victory over Arkansas. That Vols team finished ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll. Tennessee posted a 33-14-1 record during Hobby’s career.

A First-Team All-SEC selection in 1989, he was a third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 1990 NFL Draft and played three seasons with the New England Patriots (1990-92).

Hobby and his wife, Constance, have three daughters – Maria, Mariah and Camille.

Johnson joins the Arkansas staff from Florida State, where he coached the Seminoles running backs and served as the program’s recruiting coordinator since 2020. He has had at least one player selected in each of the last seven NFL Drafts (2018-24).

Florida State’s rushing attack led the ACC in yards per game this past season, averaging 218.7 yards while scoring a league-best 31 rushing touchdowns.

While at Florida State, Johnson helped build the Seminoles back into a national power in 2023 when the team went 13-0 during the regular season, including an ACC Championship. The Seminoles averaged 34.6 points per game – bolstered by 20 different players scoring at least one touchdown to match a program record – and ranked 18th in the country. The Seminoles also led the ACC with 61 total touchdowns scored, including 32 on the ground. Trey Benson finished the season with 1,133 all-purpose yards to go with 14 rushing touchdowns and one receiving score. His 14 rushing TDs total tied for seventh on FSU’s single-season list and ranked second in the ACC and 15th nationally that year. Lawrance Toafili earned ACC Championship Game MVP after running for a career-high 118 yards, including a career-long 73-yard run, and the go-ahead touchdown in Florida State’s 16-6 victory.

Johnson’s running backs contributed to one of the most explosive offenses in the nation in 2022 while helping lead FSU to a 10-3 record and a final ranking of No. 10 in the Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the AP poll. Florida State led the nation averaging 7.5 plays of 20-plus yards per game, the program’s highest season average since the 2013 national championship season. The team’s 214.1 rushing yards per game were the most by a FSU team since 1995, fueled by eight games of 200+ yards rushing, including seven consecutive to end the regular season.

Prior to Florida State, Johnson coached at Tennessee for two years, leading the Volunteers’ wide receivers in 2018 before taking of the team’s running backs in 2019. He coached alongside Silverfield at Memphis during the 2016-17 seasons as the Tigers’ wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. He developed former walk-on Anthony Miller into a consensus All-American in 2017 after Miller led the country with 18 receiving touchdowns, ranked third with 1,462 receiving yards and fifth with 96 receptions.

Johnson spent four seasons at Tulane coaching running backs and tight ends. The Green Wave played in the team’s first bowl game in over a decade in 2013 when RB Orleans Darkwa earned MVP honors in the New Orleans Bowl after scoring three touchdowns. Johnson also developed a pair of Freshman All-Americans in RB Sherman Badie and TE Charles Jones.

Johnson began his coaching career at his alma mater, John F. Kennedy HS in Louisiana, as the team’s wide receivers and tight ends coach before becoming the offensive coordinator at O. Perry Walker HS (La.). He got his first taste of college football at Millsaps College for four seasons (2005-08) as the wide receivers and tight ends coach. He returned to high school football in 2009 when he began a successful stint as the head coach at St. Augustine HS (La.). During his time at St. Augustine, he coached future NFL players and All-Americans Tyrann Mathieu and Leonard Fournette Jr.

Throughout his career, he has coached 19 all-conference players who have earned a combined 29 all-conference honors, including Special Teams Player of the Year.

Johnson played at Nicholls State, where he earned All-Southland Conference honorable mention as a wide receiver in 1992 and again as a wide receiver and punt returner in 1993. He led the Colonels in each of those seasons, combining for 50 receptions for 990 yards and eight touchdowns over those two years.

Johnson and his wife, Akeia, have two sons – Jermaine and Karaaz – and one daughter – De’Von.

The Hicks File
Birthdate: March 24, 1987
Hometown: Clarksdale, Miss.
High School: Clarksdale HS
College: Southern Miss, 2009
Family: Wife – JoTrina; Sons – Eddie IV and Jayvion; Daughter – Emani

Coaching Experience
2012 Alcorn State – Graduate Assistant
2013 Cincinnati – Graduate Assistant
2014 Cal – Defensive Quality Control
2015 Murray State – Defensive Backs
2016-17 Austin Peay – Cornerbacks
2018 Southern Miss – Cornerbacks
2019-21 Charlotte – Cornerbacks
2022 Jacksonville State – Cornerbacks
2023-24 LSU – Lead Defensive Analyst
2025 Cincinnati – Cornerbacks

Playing Experience
2006-09 Southern Miss

The Hobby File
Birthdate: Nov. 7, 1966
Hometown: Irondale, Ala.
High School: Shades Valley HS (Ala.)
College: Tennessee, 1990
Family: Wife – Constance; Daughters – Maria, Mariah, Camille

Coaching Experience
1995 UT Martin – Strength & Conditioning Coach
1996-97 Louisiana-Lafayette – Defensive Tackles/S&C Coach
1998 Tennessee – Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
1999-2004 Ole Miss – Defensive Line
2005 Clemson – Defensive Ends
2006-07 New Orleans Saints – Defensive Ends
2008-10 Duke – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line
2011-16 Clemson – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Ends
2017-18 Jacksonville Jaguars – Defensive Line
2019-20 Miami Dolphins – Defensive Line
2021-24 Cincinnati Bengals – Defensive Line
2025 Tennessee – Defensive Analyst

Playing Experience
1986-89 Tennessee
1990 Minnesota Vikings
1990-92 New England Patriots

The Johnson File
Birthdate: August 7, 1971
Hometown: New Orleans, La.
High School: John F. Kennedy HS (La.)
College: Nicholls State, 1995
Family: Wife – Akeia; Sons – Jermaine and Karaaz; Daughter – De’Von

Coaching Experience
1997-99 John F. Kennedy HS (La.) – Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
2000-04 O. Perry Walker HS (La.) – Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2005-08 Millsaps College – Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
2009-11 St. Augustine HS (La.) – Head Coach
2012-15 Tulane – Running Backs/Tight Ends
2016-17 Memphis – Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator
2018 Tennessee – Wide Receivers
2019 Tennessee – Running Backs
2020-25 Florida State – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator

Playing Experience
1991-93 Nicholls State