Chris Wilkerson Hiring Press Conference Video
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Eastern Illinois football is bringing one of its own back home as Panthers Athletic Director Tom Michael has announced the hiring of Chris Wilkerson as the 26th head coach in EIU football history.
In just his second season leading the Panthers, Wilkerson guided one of the best turnarounds in the FCS in 2023 as the Panthers went from two wins during his first season in 2022 to an 8-3 campaign. EIU was one of the final four teams considered for the 2023 FCS playoff field and ended the year with a No. 24 FCS Coaches Poll national ranking. The eight wins were the most for the program since the 2013 season and the end of season national ranking was the first for EIU since the 2015 season. Along the way Wilkerson earned Big South-OVC Football Coach of the Year honors and finished sixth in voting for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award. He and his staff coached ten players that earned Big South-OVC Football honors, four players that earned All-America honors in 2023 and the 2023 Jerry Rice Award runner-up in running back MJ Flowers.
The Panthers again had several highlights during the 2023 season with six All-Conference selections. Quarterback Pierce Holley became just the fourth quarterback in school history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a season as EIU's passing offense ranked 13th in the FCS. Wide receiver Cooper Willman set the EIU single game record with 291 yards receiving against Gardner-Webb (third most in OVC history).
Wilkerson played for the Panthers from 1991-94 earning his degree from EIU in 1995. He began his coaching career on the staff of Bob Spoo working with the Panthers from 1995-2001. He led the special teams unit all seven years and also had stints as defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and defensive line coach. The Panthers reached the NCAA FCS playoffs four times and won a pair of conference championships during his tenure. Wilkerson's defenses and special teams were regularly ranked in the national top 20 in numerous categories.
Wilkerson came to EIU after a successful run as the head coach at the University of Chicago where he has posted winning seasons in seven of his eight seasons including an 8-2 record this past season with an offense that featured the leading rusher in Division III football. He has a 51-27 record in nine seasons as the UChicago head coach with the team not competing during the 2020 season due to COVID-19.
His teams have excelled on the field and in the class room at UChicago since Wilkerson took over the program in 2013. His first season the Maroons posted a 6-4 record including the second 4-0 start to a season in the program's modern era. He has guided the school through three different conference affiliations with a 39-15 record in conference play. In all Wilkerson has coached three Division III All-Americans, five Academic All-Americans, nine All-Region selections, four Conference Players of the Year and 94 All-Conference selections during his time at UChicago.
Prior to his arrival at UChicago, he previously served on Dartmouth College's coaching staff from 2005-13 and was named Associate Head Coach in 2007. During his tenure at Dartmouth, Wilkerson's broad range of responsibilities included defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, running backs coach, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. The team was ranked in the top 10 nationally in a number of categories, including punt return average, blocked kicks, individual rushing average and fewest fumbles lost. His pass defense ranked 14th in the country in his debut season.
Wilkerson coached the defense and special teams at San Jose State University from 2002-04. In 2003, he was a nominee for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
Wilkerson and his wife, Sharna (a former EIU softball player), have three children – Isabella, Peyton and Charlotte.
Eastern Illinois
* Hired as 26th head coach in Eastern Illinois history on January 26, 2022
* Begins fourth year as head coach for 2025 season
* Finished sixth in voting for Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award
* Named Big South-OVC Football Coach of the Year in 2023
* Coached team from 2 wins in 2022 to 8 wins in 2023 and No. 24 FCS Coaches Poll final ranking
* Coached six All-Conference selections in 2024 (three first team)
* Team ranked 13th in the FCS in passing offense and 9th in FCS in fewest penalty yards
* Team featured quarterback Pierce Holley who became just fourth QB in school history with 3,000 passing yards in a season
* Wide receiver Cooper Willman set school single game record with 291 yards receiving against Gardner-Webb (3rd most in OVC history)
* Coached team players that earned Big South-OVC honors in 2023 (six first team selections)
* Coached four players that earned a total of seven All-America honors in 2023
* Coached MJ Flowers - 2023 Jerry Rice Award runner-up and Big South-OVC Freshman of the Year
* Team ranked second in the FCS in turnovers gained in 2023
* Team ranked 18th in FCS in scoring defense in 2023
* Team ranked 25th in FCS in passing offense in 2023
* Coached team that featured two All-Americans in 2022
* Coached team that had 12 All-OVC selections in 2022 (four first-team selections)
* Team ranked 11th in FCS in fewest penalties in 2022
* Team ranked 16th in passes intercepted in 2022, 29th in turnovers gained
* Team ranked fifth in FCS in net punting
* Served as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois from 1995-2001 under head coach Bob Spoo
* Coached special teams during entire tenure working on defensive staff (linebackers and defensive line)
* Served as defensive coordinator during final season on staff in 2001
* Helped coach team to four FCS playoff appearances
* Helped coach team to a pair of conference championships as team played in both the Gateway Football Conference and OVC
* Defense and Special Teams units regularly ranked in Top 20 in FCS in numerous categories
Prior To Eastern Illinois
* Head football coach at University of Chicago from 2013-21
* Team posted a winning record in seven of eight seasons, 2020 year was not played due to COVID
* Coached an offensive unit that featured the leading rusher in NCAA Division III in 2021 as team posted 8-2 record
* Team also posted an 8-1 record in 2014 winning UAA Conference title
* Guided the University of Chicago program through three different conference alignments posting a 39-15 record in conference play
* Coached three Division III All-Americans
* Coached nine All-Region selections
* Coached four Conference Players of the Year
* Coached 94 All-Conference selections
* (University of Chicago Record – 51-27)
* Coached at Dartmouth College from 2005-13, serving as Associate Head Coach since 2007
* Served as Defensive Coordinator, Special Teams Coordinator, running backs coach and linebackers coach in tenure
* Team ranked in FCS Top 10 nationally in several categories including punt return average, blocked kicks, individual rushing average, fewest fumbles lost
* Dartmouth pass defense ranked 14th in the FCS in debut season as defensive coordinator
* Coached at San Jose State from 2002-04
* In 2003 was a nominee for Broyles Award, given annually to nation’s top assistant coach
Personal
* Played football at Eastern Illinois for head coach Bob Spoo
* Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois in 1995
* He and wife Sharna (a former EIU softball player) have three children
* Native of Indianapolis, Indiana
| School |
Year |
Overall |
Conference |
Other |
| Univ. of Chicago |
2013-21 (9 Years) |
51-27 |
39-15 |
2014 UAA Championship |
| . |
* Chicago did not compete in 2020 |
|
|
|
| Eastern Illinois |
2022 |
2-9 |
1-4 |
|
| Eastern Illinois |
2023 |
8-3 |
4-2 |
No. 24 National Ranking |
| Eastern Illinois |
2024 |
3-9 |
2-6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| EIU Record |
3 Years |
13-21 |
7-12 |
|
| Career Record |
12 Years |
64-48 |
46-27 |
1 Conference Title |