Interim head coach Steve Wilks a “leader of men”
Wilks has deep North Carolina roots. Born in Charlotte, he attended West Charlotte High School and Appalachian State. He played one season of arena football with the Charlotte Rage in 1993 and has previously coached in the city.
He started his coaching career as the defensive coordinator for Johnson C. Smith, the city’s Historically Black University. He later returned to his hometown with the Panthers as a defensive backs coach (2012-14), before being named assistant head coach in 2015 and defensive coordinator in 2017.
“Steve loves this area, loves Charlotte,” Tepper said. “If you’re somebody who loves this area (and) loves Charlotte, of course, you’re going to be a little bit excited.”
Wilks also served as the Browns defensive coordinator in 2019, and later had a college job as the Missouri’s defensive coordinator in 2021.
