Hankins Named East Carolina Defensive Coordinator

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Jordon Hankins has been named East Carolina's defensive coordinator according to an announcement by head coach Blake Harrell on Monday.

Hankins' appointment to the Pirates' staff ends a five-year at the University of Memphis where he served as the defensive coordinator (2024-25), linebackers coach (2021-25) and assistant special team coordinator (2021-23).

This past season (2025), the Tigers posted an 8-5 overall record and appeared in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. Memphis' defense ranked among the FBS leaders (Top 50) in six defensive categories including red zone defense (30th/78.4 pct.), defensive touchdowns scored (33rd/2), interceptions (41st/12), rushingdefense (42nd/132.1 ypg), turnovers gained (43rd/19) and fourth down conversion defense (48th/50.0 pct.). For members of his defensive unit earned All-American Conference honors in Sam Brumfield (LB/first team), William Whitlow Jr. (DL/first team), Omarion Cooper (CB/second team) and Pooda Walker (DL/third team).

The 2024 season saw remarkable improvement from the year before as Memphis led the nation with 15 fumble recoveries and was tied for second in the country with a +18-turnover ratio. Overall, Memphis forced 26 turnovers on the season – six more than the 2023 season.

The biggest improvement among many was the Tigers' rushing defense, which allowed 156.5 yards per game in 2023 and 2,034 total to rank No. 77 in FBS. Memphis ranked No. 15 in the nation allowing just 111.8 yards per game on the ground and 1,453 for the season. The 111.8 average yards allowed on the ground that season was the best for Memphis since the 2003 season (110.4 yards per game).

In the win over No. 17 Tulane, Memphis limited running back Makhi Hughes – the nation's eighth-leading rusher entering the game – to just 15 yards on nine carries and limiting the Green Wave to 57 team rushing yards. The Tiger defense held opponents to 67 or less rushing yards on six occasions in 13 games.

Memphis recorded two more sacks during the 2024 season (25.0) than in 2023 – averaging over two per game. The Tigers improved their scoring defense from No. 92 (28.8 PPG) to No. 55 (23.8 PPG) – the best since 2014.

The Tigers ranked Top 65 in the country in tackles for loss (74.0) and improved drastically from finishing No. 111 in total defense (423.2 YPG) in 2023 to ranking No. 66 during the 2024 season (369.3 YPG). Memphis improved its first down defense from No. 83 in FBS to No. 16 and allowed an average of 10.5 less passing yards per game this season.

Since taking over as the defensive play caller for the Tigers before the 2023 AutoZone Liberty Bowl win over Iowa State, the Memphis defense has been much improved. In his debut, Hankins and the Tigers held the Cyclones to zero rushing yards on 20 attempts in the victory.

The zero rushing yards allowed by Memphis were the fewest since the Tigers held Ole Miss to minus four rushing yards in 1993.Memphis' 12 tackles for loss in the win over Florida State this season were the most for the Tigers in a game since 2018 vs. SMU.

In 2023, Hankins helped guide the Tigers to a 10-3 season, including a win in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, 36-26, over Iowa State when he served as the interim defensive coordinator. The 10-win season was just the fifth in program history. Defensively, Memphis ranked fourth in the NCAA in fourth-down conversion percentage defense (.290), 15^th in defensive touchdowns (3) and 24^th in third-down conversion percentage defense (.333).

Individually, linebacker Chandler Martin earned First-Team All-AAC honors after totaling a team-best 95 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, two pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, one fumble return and two forced fumbles. Martin ranked 17th in the NCAA in tackles for loss and 18th in solo tackles (5.1).

Also, linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku earned Honorable-Mention All-AAC accolades after totaling 79 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, two pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and one blocked field goal returned for a touchdown.

In 2022, Hankins helped guide the Tigers to a 38-10 victory over Utah State in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. Memphis finished the season ranked fifth in the nation in fewest penalties (53), 10th in interceptions (16) and 25th in turnovers gained (25).

Individually, kicker Chris Howard was named First-Team All-AAC, while linebacker Xavier "Zay" Cullens earned second-team accolades. Howard led the conference and ranked 11th nationally in field goals per game (1.62) and ranked 19th in the country in field goal percentage (.875). Cullens led the AAC and finished second in the nation with four fumble recoveries and ranked 44th in the country with 8.5 tackles per game.

In his first season in 2021 at Memphis, Hankins helped the Tigers to the program's eighth-straight bowl appearance, as the team was named EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl champions after Hawai'i withdrew from the game.

Under Hankins, JJ Russell was a force for Memphis at linebacker in 2021, leading the AAC with 123 total tackles, 78 solo tackles and 10.3 tackles per game to earn first-team honors. Russell was the first Memphis linebacker to earn first-team honors since Genard Avery in 2017.

Nationally, he ranked fourth in the nation in solo tackles (6.5) and ninth in total tackles (10.2). Russell also led the Tigers with eight quarterback hurries on the year to go with 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and one forced fumble.

Hankins completed his first season at Marshall where the Thundering Herd finished 7-3 overall and 4-1 in Conference USA while reaching the C-USA Championship Game and playing in the Camellia Bowl. Under Hankins, senior linebacker Tavante Beckett was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, as well as to the C-USA All-Conference first-team. Joining Beckett on the first team was punt returner Talik Keaton, while sophomore linebacker Eli Neal and junior long snapper Zach Appio were honorable mention selections.

Prior to Marshall, Hankins spent 10 years at UT Martin in five different positions, including the last three as the Skyhawks' defensive coordinator.

Hankins coached 20 players who earned Ohio Valley Conference postseason honors in 2019 as UT Martin led the OVC in scoring defense allowing only 19.5 points per game and just 20 touchdowns in league play. The Skyhawks also led the OVC in pass defense efficiency (111.0), red zone defense (73.0 pct.), defensive TDs (3), sacks (25) and turnover margin (+5). Nationally, UT Martin ranked ninth in blocked kicks, 10th in punt return defense, 11th in both blocked punts and defensive TDs, 15th in fewest penalties per game, 19th in fewest penalties, 20th in pass defense efficiency and 25th in interceptions.

In 2018, UT Martin ranked 17th nationally in tackles for loss (7.6 per game), 26th in rushing defense (130.5) and 30th in first-down defense. In OVC play, the Skyhawks ranked second in rushing defense (134.2), pass defense (202.1), total defense (332.4) and tackles for loss as well as third in third-down conversions (35.5 pct.), fourth-down conversions (43.8 pct.) and red zone defense (79.3 pct.). They were fourth in scoring defense (29.0) and sacks (1.88).

In his first year as defensive coordinator in 2017, Hankins led UT Martin's defense to be ranked nationally in red zone defense (third/60.6 pct.), scoring defense (fourth/14.3), third-down conversions (fifth/28.7 pct.), total defense (sixth/273.8), punt returns (seventh/3.59), first-down defense (eighth/168 ypg), team passing efficiency (eighth/104.3), fourth-down conversion defense (eighth/28.6 pct.), kickoff returns (eighth/24.33) and passing yards allowed (ninth/159.9). UT Martin's 14.3 points allowed per game set a school record and ranked fourth nationally.

Prior to UT Martin, Hankins was an assistant coach and head strength and conditioning coach at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Hankins played linebacker at UT Martin from 2001-03 and earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in education from UT Martin in 2005 and 2012, respectively. He also has a physical education endorsement.

A native of Hohenwald, Tenn., Hankins helped lead Lewis County High School to three regional championships in football while earning all-state honors in both football and baseball. As a senior, he was named a Mr. Football Finalist in 1998.

Hankins is married to the former Christa Webb, a UT Martin softball alum who also received her master's degree from the university. They have three children, Colt, Case and Jolee Faye.

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