Donte Wilkins is in his first season as Utah State’s defensive line coach. The 2025 season will be his fifth working for head coach Bronco Mendenhall, as their association began at his alma mater, Virginia.
Wilkins brings eight years of collegiate coaching experience with him to USU and has experience as an athletic performance coach.
Wilkins came to Utah State after spending the 2024 season as the defensive line coach at New Mexico. He helped the Lobos to a 5-7 record, marking the program’s most wins in eight years. Their season was highlighted by a 38-35 victory against No. 19 Washington State, snapping a 26-game losing streak against nationally ranked teams. The UNM victory was its first win over a top-20 team since 1994 and its first non-conference win against a top-20 opponent since 1940.
At New Mexico, Wilkins helped mentor three defenders who earned All-Mountain West honors, including defensive lineman Bryce Santana. As a unit, UNM ranked third in the conference and 29th in the nation with two defensive touchdowns.
Before New Mexico, Wilkins’ first full-time coaching stop was at Lafayette during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, helping the Leopards to a 2023 FCS Playoff appearance, its first since 2013.
With Lafayette, Wilkins coached two-time All-Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and the first five-time All-Patriot League performer Malik Hamm. In 2022, the Leopards finished second in scoring defense (21.7 ppg) and first in rushing defense (111.0 ypg). In 2023, the Leopards led the league in sacks with 37 (16 more than the second-place team) and led the league in rushing defense (123.1 ypg) for the second straight year.
Along with Hamm, five of Wilkins’ players earned all-Patriot League honors.
Wilkins got his collegiate coaching career started under Mendenhall at Virginia, where he spent two seasons as a defensive graduate assistant (2020-21) and one as a regional scout (2019).
After his playing career, Wilkins started in collegiate athletics as an assistant athletic performance coach at UCLA, working with the football program during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
As a player, Wilkins played at Virginia from 2013-16, under both Mike London and Mendenhall. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Cavaliers and started all 12 games as a senior in 2016 when he served as a team captain. Wilkins played in 45 career games and made 89 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss.
Wilkins graduated from Virginia with his bachelor’s degree in anthropology in 2017 and earned his master’s degree in social foundations in 2021.
DONTE WILKINS FILE
Coaching History
2025- Utah State – Defensive Line
2024 New Mexico – Defensive Line
2022-23 Lafayette – Defensive Line
2020-21 Virginia – Defensive Graduate Assistant
2019 Virginia – Regional Scout
2017-18 UCLA – Assistant Football Performance
Bowl Games (3)
Virginia (2): 2021 Fenway Bowl*, 2019 Orange Bowl
UCLA (1): 2017 Cactus Bowl
*Not Contested
FCS Playoffs (1)
Lafayette (1): 2023 Quarterfinals
Division Championships (1)
Virginia (1) – ACC Coastal: 2019
Playing Experience
2013-17 Virginia
Education
2021 Virginia – Social Foundations (Master’s)
2017 Virginia – Anthropology (Bachelor’s)
