CJ Wilkes graduated from Elmore County High School in 2024. After one year of football at Huntingdon College, he’s donned the maroon and white again, but this time he’s got a whistle around his neck.
“I really just wanted to come back and coach to help the program,” Wilkes said. “Because they helped me out a lot. I played one year at Huntingdon last fall and I’m looking to bring that same mindset, energy and dedication to this team. And also, I want to help build this program, so the players can grow on and off the field.”
Wilkes played running back and safety in his four years at Elmore County, he was also coached by current coach Kyle Caldwell for his junior and senior seasons. As a running back, Wilkes racked up 2703 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns for the Panthers.
Wilkes is joining the staff in a volunteer capacity and taking over as the defensive backs position coach.
“(The defensive backs) are looking pretty good,” Wilkes said. “We’ve still got some work to do, but we have got some guys that are going to ball out this year.”
Wilkes specifically highlighted safety Seth McGhee, cornerback Reshaun Floyd and safety Tyler Payton as players from his position group that have lots of potential to make an impact this season. When Wilkes was a senior, current players like McGhee, Payton and quarterback Gage Davis were sophomores and freshmen under him.
“I recently walked in their shoes,” he said. “So I know kind of how everything is, and that just helps me push them a little bit harder. And I feel like they’re actually respecting it, and not just seeing me as a teammate, because I did play with some of those guys. They actually respect me and that’s a big part.”
Last season Elmore County went 7-3 overall, making it to the first round of the playoffs. As a new coach on the staff this year, Wilkes hopes to exceed expectations and make it beyond the first round.
“For this season, I would just say we really want to get past the first round of the playoffs,” he said. “We want to be better than we were last year. That’s the main goal. It’s just to build and make sure the players grow on and off the field.”
