Donte Wilkins enters his second season as the Leopards' defensive line coach.
Wilkins worked closely with the Leopards' 2022 defensive line standout performers Malik Hamm and Damon Washington in his first year. Hamm finished his career by obtaining his fifth All-Patriot League selection (a Patriot League record) and by becoming a two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. Washington secured his second consecutive All-Patriot League honor in 2022, with his senior season being the first time he obtained First-Team honors. The defensive line was crucial to the Leopards finishing second in the Patriot League in team defense (21.7 ppg) while leading the conference in rushing defense (111.0 ypg).
Wilkins previously coached for three seasons in various capacities with the University of Virginia football program. He was a defensive graduate assistant at Virginia for the 2020 season when the squad was ranked eighth in the nation in sacks and in 2021 when the Cavaliers were 22nd in the nation in red-zone defense.
During the 2019 campaign, Wilkins served as a regional scout at Virginia, analyzing game film of prospective student-athletes while helping to revamp the recruiting department.
From 2018 to 2019, Wilkins was the assistant football performance coach and NFL liaison at UCLA. He worked closely with student-athletes throughout the year while also helping them to prepare for the team’s pro day.
Wilkins was a four-year letterwinner for the Cavaliers and started all 12 games as a senior in 2016 when he also served as a team captain. A native of Woodbridge, Virginia, Wilkins played in 45 career games and made 89 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. He earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology in 2017 and his master’s degree in social foundations in 2021.
Updated 8/1/23
