Bio

Earnest Wilson was named head coach of the Defiance College football program in December of 2021 after holding the position on an interim basis during the 2021 season. Wilson spent the past three seasons serving as associate head coach and superbacks coach.

Wilson has an extensive coaching resume, with experience on several different levels of football.

Wilson most recently served as the head football coach for Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) from 2015-18, where he led the team to top-five finishes in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). As the CIAA Coach of the Year, Wilson developed NCAA Division II All-Americans Victor Tabb and Malcolm Cherry, who helped guide the program to its best record in four seasons. Under Wilson's guidance, the team had two HBCU All-Americans, six all-conference players, and a Division II All-American. While at Elizabeth City State, Wilson also served as a professor in the Department of Sport Management, helping in the development, growth, and expansion of the program. 

Prior to ECSU, Wilson led Hampton University before spearheading the football operations at Savannah State University. While at Hampton, he acted as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, helping to lead the Pirates' offense to among the best in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in total offense and scoring. Wilson also coached All-MEAC player Jeremiah Schwartz, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2012, becoming the first Hampton player to do so since 2009. 

Wilson's decorative background also included coaching stints at Jackson State University and New Mexico State University, where he served as the running backs coach. He led the running backs corps to 1,000-plus yards and 16 scores in just one season at NMSU. While at JSU he served as offensive coordinator for a team that led the nation in total offense averaging almost 500 yards a game and had the 9th highest-scoring offense in the nation and averaged 35 points per game.

Wilson has also held coaching positions at Alabama A&M, the University of Maine, and Allegheny College where he served on a staff that won the 1990 NCAA Division III national championship. 

Wilson played football while receiving both his graduate and undergraduate degrees from Texas Tech University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in recreation in 1989 and a Master of Education in sports administration a year later.

Wilson has three children: E.J., Jonathan and Mya. Wilson was born in Columbus, Ohio.