Memphis LB Coach Jordon Hankins named Interim Defensive Coordinator

In a press conference held Tuesday, the University of Memphis formally announced the appointment of third-year LB Coach Jordon Hankins as the program’s interim defensive coordinator. This announcement comes just days ahead of the Tigers’ second-ever appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl versus Iowa State.

This won’t be the Middle Tennessee native’s first time calling defensive plays, however. After playing linebacker for UT Martin from 2001 to 2003, Hankins served on the Skyhawk’s coaching staff from 2010 to 2019, including the last three seasons as the program’s defensive coordinator. In 2019, UT Martin’s defense boasted the Ohio Valley Conference’s top scoring defense, red zone defense, and pass defense efficiency.

Following a long and successful tenure at his alma mater, Hankins left the program to join the football staff at Marshall as the Thundering Herd’s Special Teams Coordinator and Linebackers Coach for the 2020 season. In his lone season at Marshall in 2020, Hankins coached the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in Senior Linebacker Tavante Beckett. He’s spent the last three seasons at Memphis, helping the Tigers’ linebacker corps become the most consistent defensive unit from year-to-year.

His first opportunity as the Tigers’ defensive play caller will serve as a challenging one. While they haven’t been the flashiest unit in the Big 12, the Iowa State Cyclones have often gotten the job done when called upon. The Cyclones closed the regular season averaging 26 points per game and defeated their opponents by an average of 16 points in their 7 victories on the year. The Cyclones’ most impressive win of the season came in their regular season finale in a snowy Manhattan, Kansas versus Kansas State. In that game, the Cyclones ran the ball 23 times for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns. Junior Receiver Jaylin Noel additionally had a terrific performance, scoring twice on only 3 receptions for 160 yards.