Mizzou football hires former NFL coach Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator
Missouri football coach Eliah Drinkwitz has found a new defensive coordinator. And it’s someone with plenty of coaching experience.
Mizzou is hiring former NFL coach Steve Wilks to be the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator. MU made the hire official Thursday. Drinkwitz welcomed in the newest addition to his staff on Twitter.
“We are thrilled to welcome Steve Wilks and his family to Mizzou,” Drinkwitz said in a statement. “Steve has a strong reputation as a man of character and a leader of men. His experiences both as an NFL head coach and defensive coordinator are exactly what we need at Mizzou.
“I’m looking forward to Steve putting his fingerprints on our defense as we continue to elevate Mizzou Football to greater heights.”
Wilks hasn’t coached in the college ranks since 2005 with Washington, but boasts NFL experience on his resume. He was head coach for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, where he went 3-13 and had Mizzou defensive backs coach Charlie Harbison on his staff. Wilks spent the 2019 season as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and did not coach this past season after he was not retained by current Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.
Wilks spent a bulk of his time in the NFL with Carolina under former Panthers coach Ron Rivera. Wilks rose from defensive backs coach to associate head coach and defensive coordinator during his tenure there from 2012-17.
“As I took time off to reflect over the past year, I wanted to find a good program with great people that was moving in the right direction, and without a doubt, Mizzou Football has all of that,” Wilks said. “I reached out to Coach Drinkwitz when he got the job at Appalachian State as an alum, and Coach Harbison is a good friend of mine who spoke volumes about the culture and people at Mizzou. Mizzou has things moving in a great direction and I wanted to be a part of that.”
Drinkwitz and the Tigers were in the market for a defensive coordinator after Ryan Walters left for the same title at Illinois. Walters joined Mizzou in 2015 as safeties coach when former MU coach Barry Odom brought him from Memphis to Columbia. Walters was one of three coaches retained by Drinkwitz after his hire in December 2019.
MU saw struggles during the 2020 campaign facing an all-SEC schedule. The 5-5 Tigers either shut down the opposition or gave up points in droves. It was, of course, a trying year for the team between COVID-19, injuries, opt outs and other issues as Mizzou saw its depth fluctuating throughout the season.
“I’ve had a reputation of building relationships everywhere I’ve been, from college to the NFL,” Wilks said. “I pride myself on being a great teacher and communicator and having the ability to get the most out of my players. Players like Josh Norman, who developed from a fifth-round draft pick into a All-Pro selection, is just one example of someone who I was able to help develop. In college, you must develop players, and I believe I can bring that to Mizzou, along with being a great communicator and teacher.”
Missouri has one more vacancy on the coaching staff. PowerMizzou reported Wednesday that defensive line coach Brick Haley will not return for the 2021 season. Haley was one of the three defensive coaches retained by Drinkwitz and was well-regarded by his players.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 10:35 AM.