Cortez Hankton | Wide Receivers Coach

Cortez Hankton

Title:
Wide Receivers Coach
Email:
hankton.3@osu.edu

Cortez Hankton was hired as Ohio State’s wide receivers coach in 2026 after spending the previous 10 seasons at three SEC programs, including the last four at LSU as passing game coordinator, wide receivers coach and later co-offensive coordinator. At LSU, he helped develop one of the nation’s most productive passing attacks while also playing a major role in recruiting, contributing to three straight top-10 high school classes and the No. 1 transfer portal class for 2025.

During Hankton’s four seasons in Baton Rouge, LSU ranked among the SEC’s top two in passing offense twice, and the Tigers produced some of the country’s top receivers, including Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas and Kyren Lacy. Nabers and Thomas combined for 2,746 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns in 2023 before both became NFL starters and 1,000-yard rookies, while Lacy led the SEC in touchdown catches in 2024.

Before LSU, Hankton spent four seasons at Georgia, where he coached on the Bulldogs’ 2021 national championship staff and helped guide three SEC East title teams and three New Year’s Six bowl teams. He previously coached wide receivers at Vanderbilt from 2015-17 and spent three seasons at Dartmouth before a brief volunteer stint at UCF.

A native of New Orleans, Hankton was a standout receiver at Texas Southern, where he set school season and career receiving records, earned All-SWAC honors and was later inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025. He went on to play in the NFL with Jacksonville, Minnesota and Tampa Bay before spending three seasons in the United Football League.

Hankton and his wife, Shon, have two sons, Cortez “Trip” III and Cruz.

LSU (2022-25)
A native of New Orleans, Hankton spent four seasons at LSU, initially serving as passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2022 and 2023 before being elevated to co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach ahead of the 2024 season, a role he maintained in 2025.

In his first year with the Tigers in 2022, Hankton played a key role in one of the most prolific offenses in program history as LSU totaled 6,344 yards of total offense and 3,770 passing yards – both ranking second in school history at the time. Wide receiver Malik Nabers emerged as one of the SEC’s top targets, leading the league in receptions (72) and surpassing 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career, while Kayshon Boutte was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Hankton’s impact grew in 2023 as LSU produced one of the top offenses in school history. The Tigers led the nation in scoring (45.5 points per game) and total offense (543.5 yards per game) while ranking No. 3 nationally in passing offense (338.9). Quarterback Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy after leading the nation in total offense (412.2 yards per game) and accounting for 50 touchdowns. LSU eclipsed 40 points nine times and topped 500 yards of offense in nine games, finishing with 7,065 total yards and 4,406 passing yards—both second in program history.

Hankton’s development of wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. was central to that success. The duo combined for 157 receptions, 2,746 yards and 31 touchdowns, forming one of the nation’s top receiving tandems. Nabers, a unanimous All-American and Biletnikoff Award finalist, finished his career as LSU’s all-time leader in receptions (189) and receiving yards (3,003), while leading the nation in receiving yards per game (120.7) in 2023. Thomas led the nation with 17 touchdown receptions and earned AP Third-Team All-America honors. Both players were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft – Nabers at No. 6 overall and Thomas at No. 23 – marking just the second time in program history that LSU had two first-round wide receivers. Both went on to become immediate NFL contributors with 1,000-yard rookie seasons.

Elevated to co-offensive coordinator in 2024, Hankton helped LSU rank second in the SEC and No. 7 nationally in passing offense at 315.2 yards per game – the third-highest mark in school history – while finishing No. 25 nationally in total offense (431.5 yards per game). Wide receiver Kyren Lacy earned second-team All-SEC honors after leading the league in touchdown receptions, and Aaron Anderson led the team in receptions (61) and receiving yards (884) in his first season as a starter.

LSU followed with another productive season in 2025 despite key injuries to its starting quarterback and offensive line. The Tigers continued to show offensive versatility, highlighted by the emergence of tight end Trey’Dez Green as a receiving threat and Zavion Thomas as a dynamic all-purpose playmaker. LSU earned a signature road win at No. 4 Clemson and produced six SEC or national Player of the Week honorees.

Across Hankton’s four seasons in Baton Rouge, LSU ranked among the SEC’s top two in passing offense twice – finishing No. 1 in 2023 and No. 2 in 2024 – while consistently developing NFL-caliber receivers and helping the program secure three consecutive top-10 recruiting classes, along with the nation’s No. 1 transfer portal class in 2025.

Georgia (2018-21)
Hankton spent the past four years at Georgia where he was part of three SEC Eastern Division titles, three New Year’s Six Bowl games and the College Football Playoff following the 2021 regular season where UGA won its first National Championship since 1980. Hankton served as the pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Georgia from 2019-21 and he joined the Bulldog staff in 2018 as wide receivers coach.

In his first season in Athens, the Georgia offense finished first in the SEC in total rushing offense, rushing offense per game, and second in the SEC in total offense, touchdowns scored, and scoring offense. The Bulldogs wideouts, which included Riley Ridley, Mecole Hardman and Terry Godwin, helped QB Jake Fromm post the second-best completion percentage in school history at 67.3, which was 12th nationally, and second-best passing efficiency for a QB at 171.21, which was fifth nationally. Additionally, those big-play receivers in 2018 combined for 1,475 receiving yards and were drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft – Hardman, 2nd round, Kansas City; Ridley, 4th round, Chicago; and Godwin, 7th round, Carolina.

In his third season at Georgia in 2020, Hankton coached SEC All-Freshman wide receiver George Pickens, who earned MVP honors in the 2020 Allstate Sugar Bowl after helping lead the Bulldogs to a victory over Baylor. That season, Pickens, Kearis Jackson and Jermaine Burton combined for 99 receptions, 1,431 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2021, Hankton helped guide one of the SEC’s most explosive offenses as Georgia led the conference in yards per play (6.98) and pass efficiency rating. The Bulldogs ranked among the nation’s top five in scoring offense at 39.8 points per game and eighth nationally with 472.0 total yards per game, averaging 198.1 rushing yards and 273.8 passing yards per contest.

Vanderbilt (2015-17)
Hankton spent three seasons as Vanderbilt’s wide receivers coach, helping develop one of the program’s most productive receiving groups in recent history. His tenure was highlighted by the 2016 season, when he helped guide the Commodores to a 6-6 regular season record and the program’s eighth postseason appearance with a berth in the Independence Bowl. Vanderbilt won four of its final six games that fall, including marquee SEC victories over Georgia, Ole Miss and No. 24 Tennessee, while closing the regular season with a combined 83 points against the Rebels and Volunteers.

During that 2016 campaign, Vanderbilt’s young receiving corps flourished under Hankton’s guidance. C.J. Duncan, Trent Sherfield, Caleb Scott and Kalija Lipscomb combined for 129 receptions and 1,751 receiving yards. Duncan led the group with 44 catches for 494 yards, while Sherfield and Scott emerged late in the season with 34 and 24 receptions, respectively. Lipscomb added 27 catches, ranking among the top freshman receiving seasons in program history at the time.

Sherfield also excelled during Hankton’s first season in 2015, recording 51 receptions before finishing his career among Vanderbilt’s all-time leaders in both receptions (136) and receiving yards (1,869).

Dartmouth (2012-14)
Hankton spent three seasons at Dartmouth mentoring the Big Green wide receivers and helping the program compile a 20-10 overall record, including an 8-2 mark in 2014.

During the 2014 season, Dartmouth averaged 31.3 points and 248.1 passing yards per game behind one of the Ivy League’s top passing attacks. Ryan McManus emerged as the unit’s top target, earning All-Ivy League honors after recording 68 receptions for 879 yards and eight touchdowns.

Hankton coached an All-Ivy caliber receiver in each of his three seasons at Dartmouth. In 2012, senior Michael Reilly earned first-team All-Ivy League honors while McManus received honorable mention recognition. In 2013, Bo Patterson also earned Ivy League honorable mention accolades.

Background:
Hankton joined Dartmouth in 2012 after spending three months at the University of Central Florida as a volunteer assistant in player personnel. In that role, he assisted with recruiting operations, including evaluating prospective student-athletes, breaking down film and organizing recruiting travel plans. From 2008-10, he also worked with Tom Shaw Performance Training Camps, helping prepare draft-eligible athletes for the NFL Combine. In early 2010, Hankton served as a volunteer wide receivers coach at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando.

A former standout receiver at Texas Southern, Hankton earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2002 after setting school season and career receiving records. A four-year letterwinner and two-year team captain, he was named team MVP and earned All-Southwestern Athletic Conference honors before finishing his collegiate career as an Associated Press Division I-AA Third Team All-American.

Off the field, Hankton has remained committed to community outreach and academic achievement. In 2011, he founded Black Ice Concept, an organization focused on increasing minority participation in winter sports through sponsorship and funding opportunities for athletes. He also established the Cortez Hankton Scholarship Fund in 2003 to support exemplary student-athletes and has participated in literacy initiatives through Read Across America in partnership with the NFL and National Education Association.

Family:
A native of New Orleans, Hankton and his wife, the former Shon Holder, were married in July of 2014. They are the parents of sons Cortez "Trip" III and Cruz.

FBS Postseason History

Season	School	Bowl Game	Opponent	Result
2025	LSU	Texas Bowl	Houston	L, 38-35
2024	LSU	Texas Bowl	Baylor	W, 44-31
2023	LSU	ReliaQuest Bowl	Wisconsin	W, 31-10
2022	LSU	Citrus Bowl	Purdue	W, 63-7
2022	LSU	SEC Championship	Georgia	L, 50-30
2021	Georgia	College Football Playoff National Championship	Alabama	W, 33-18
2021	Georgia	Orange Bowl	Michigan	W, 34-11
2021	Georgia	SEC Championship	Alabama	L, 41-24
2020	Georgia	Peach Bowl	Cincinnati	W, 24-21
2019	Georgia	Sugar Bowl	Georgia	W, 26-14
2019	Georgia	SEC Championship	LSU	L, 37-10
2018	Georgia	Sugar Bowl	Texas	L, 28-21
2018	Georgia	SEC Championship	Alabama	L, 35-28
2016	Vanderbilt	Independence Bowl	NC State	L, 41-17

Coaching History

Seasons	School/Team	Title/Position Coached
2026-Present	Ohio State	Wide Receivers Coach
2024-25	LSU	Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2022-23	LSU	Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2018-21	Georgia	Wide Receivers Coach
2015-17	Vanderbilt	Wide Receivers Coach
2012-14	Dartmouth	Wide Receivers Coach