DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College Athletic Department has announced the promotion of Earnest Wilson to interim head football coach. Wilson has served as associate head coach and superbacks coach at Defiance since 2018. In the shortened spring 2021 season, Wilson coached two superbacks to All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honors after the duo combined for 863 yards and nine touchdowns.

Wilson previously served as head football coach at Elizabeth City State University from 2015-18. Here he led the team to top-five finishes in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In 2016, Wilson was named CIAA Coach of the Year after leading the Vikings to the conference playoffs. During his tenure at ECSU, Wilson developed two NCAA Division II All-Americans and 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. Wilson was also the head coach of Savannah State University from 2013-15.

In 2012, he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Hampton University. While there, he helped lead the Pirates' offense to be among the best in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Wilson has also held coaching positions at Jackson State University and New Mexico State University. In addition to his collegiate experience, Wilson has coached in various indoor and arena football leagues as well as the Spring League.

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.

The Yellow Jackets will open the fall 2021 season on the road against Capital University on Sept. 2.