Less than a week after concluding its season, Arkansas loses its first assistant coach of the offseason. Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that defensive backs coach Deron Wilson is expected to fill the defensive coordinator position at Georgia State.
In his two seasons with the Hogs, Wilson helped to bring the secondary back from the basement of the FBS. In 2022, Arkansas was the worst passing defense in the country, finishing 130th in the FBS and averaging 294.7 passing yards allowed per game. In just one season, the Razorbacks jumped to No. 32 while giving up 202.2 yards a game, thanks in no small part to Wilson.
However, the Hogs took a step backward in 2024; Arkansas finished 114th with 257.7 yards allowed per game. But removing the season's worst pass defense performance against Ole Miss (562 yards allowed) lessons the drop. The Razorbacks averaged 220.6 without the Ole Miss game, which would've ranked 62nd had they finished the season that way.
Before moving to Arkansas, Wilson spent a year working as a quality control analyst at Florida and two seasons as the defensive coordinator at McNeese.