Cade Wilkerson promoted to offensive coordinator on EMCC football coaching staff

SCOOBA – Assistant football coach Cade Wilkerson has been promoted to the offensive coordinator position at reigning MACCC champion East Mississippi Community College, as announced Wednesday by EMCC head football coach Buddy Stephens.

"Cade is an exceptional young man who deserves this promotion as much as anyone I've ever had the pleasure of coaching with," Stephens said. "He is dedicated and loyal, and has steadily worked his way up from beginning here at EMCC as a graduate assistant coach to being rewarded with this much-deserved opportunity as the Lions' offensive coordinator."

Set to begin his ninth year overall as an assistant coach on Stephens' staff, Wilkerson earned EMCC's interim offensive coordinator coaching responsibilities a season ago following some preseason coaching staff adjustments. He took advantage of the opportunity by helping guide the Lions to their eighth conference football championship in 14 years, as EMCC finished the 2022 season with an 8-3 record and a No. 6 final NJCAA ranking. Offensively, last year's East Mississippi team ranked third in NJCAA Division I football in scoring offense (36.4 ppg) as well as fifth nationally in both passing offense (258.8 ypg) and total offense (417.7 ypg) behind Wilkerson's offensive play-calling duties.

"First of all, I want to thank Coach (Buddy) Stephens and the EMCC administration for giving me this opportunity and trusting me in this position," Wilkerson said. "Last year, I was placed in a unique position of stepping in as offensive coordinator three weeks prior to the start of our season. I was extremely impressed by the commitment displayed by my fellow coaches and our players, as they never gave up during last year's magical season that was highlighted by the Lions bringing back another MACCC State Championship to Scooba."

During Wilkerson's eight previous seasons on EMCC's football coaching staff under Stephens' leadership, the Lions have put together a composite record of 62-12, including an NJCAA championship in 2014 and conference titles in 2014, 2016, and last season. Beginning with his initial role as a graduate assistant football coach during the 2012 season, Wilkerson's coaching and administrative skills have been displayed during his various stints within EMCC's football program. His primary responsibilities for the past decade with the Lions have included coordinating the program's recruiting efforts as well as assisting with the team's offensive game plan and special teams play. In addition to his current duties as EMCC's offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator, Wilkerson also continues to be responsible for the Lions' overall football operations and the program's video operations.   

"I have been fortunate to have worked under two championship-level offensive coordinators during my tenure here at EMCC," Wilkerson added. "I have learned a wealth of information working with each of them, and I hope to integrate that knowledge into my own coaching approach. I also look forward to continuing to build relationships and work towards developing our players as both men and student-athletes."

Between his first two EMCC coaching stints, Wilkerson gained valuable prep experience as quarterbacks coach under the guidance of head coach Brad Boyette at Horn Lake (Miss.) High School during the 2013 football season.

Four years later in 2017, Wilkerson briefly left the state of Mississippi for a year and a half to gain additional experience as a graduate assistant within the University of Oklahoma athletics department. While completing his master's degree in adult and higher education with an emphasis in intercollegiate athletics administration, he assisted in the area of conduct and accountability for OU's student-athletes.

A 2011 Ole Miss graduate with a degree in exercise science, Wilkerson attended Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville on a tennis scholarship. He served as a student assistant on the Tigers' football staff and had the unique distinction of assisting his father, David Wilkerson, who was Northeast's offensive coordinator at the time. During the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Wilkerson aided his father by serving as the running backs coaching assistant as well as the football program's video coordinator.

Wilkerson first gained valuable football knowledge and coaching experience during his prep playing days under the guidance of Hall of Fame coaching legend Jim Drewry at Booneville High School. Selected as a team captain for the Blue Devils, Wilkerson capped his playing career on the gridiron by collecting all-region and all-division honors as a senior.    

Wilkerson is married to the former Amanda Hutcheson of Loganville, Georgia.