Benjamin Lorenza Wilkerson (born November 22, 1982) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach and former player who is the assistant offensive line coach for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played as a center in the NFL for four seasons from 2005 to 2008. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the LSU Tigers, earning consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors, and winning the

Rimington Trophy The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982. A member of the National College Football Awards ...

. He signed with the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2005, and also played for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, and the

Florida Tuskers Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

of the United Football League (UFL).

Early years

Wilkerson was born in

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in the state of Texas, United States of America, located east of metro Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, the city lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small extension in Orange County. ...

. He graduated from Hemphill High School in Hemphill, Texas.

College career

He received an athletic scholarship to attend

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, where he played for coach

Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. ( ; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former Professional gridiron football, professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), Colleg ...

LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football program, also known as the Fighting Tigers, represents Louisiana State University in college football. The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers, Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athle ...

team from 2001 to 2004. As a junior in 2003, he was a member of the Tigers' SEC Championship team that defeated the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

21–14 to win the BCS National Championship. Following his senior 2004 season, he was recognized as a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection and a consensus first-team All-American, and was awarded the

as the best college football center in the country.

Professional career

Wilkerson was signed as an

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

by the NFL's

, and he was a member of the Bengals from to , but appeared in only three games during the 2006 season. He also played for the NFL's

from to , and appeared in twenty-nine games off the bench for the Falcons. He was a member of the United Football League's

for part of the 2009 season.

Coaching career

LSU

Wilkerson served as a graduate assistant for the LSU Tigers during the

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

football season under Les Miles.

Grambling State

He served as the offensive line coach at

Grambling State University Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana, United States. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African ...

from 2012 to 2013.

North Shore Senior High School

Wilkerson was a PE teacher and assistant football and track coach at North Shore Senior High School in Texas during 2014.

Chicago Bears

On February 11, 2015, Wilkerson was hired by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

as their assistant offensive line coach.

New York Giants

On February 5, 2018, the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

hired Wilkerson to serve as their assistant offensive line coach. Even with the coaching change in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, head coach Joe Judge decided to keep Wilkerson on the Giants staff in the same position. Wilkerson coached the team's offensive line when Dave DeGuglielmo missed their week 17 game against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

on January 3, 2021. He was not retained after the 2021 season.

New York Jets

Wilkerson was hired on March 7, 2022, by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

to be their assistant offensive line coach. On January 29, 2025, Wilkerson and the Jets parted ways.

Cleveland Browns

On February 15, 2025, the

hired Wilkerson to serve as their assistant offensive line coach.

Personal life

Wilkerson and his wife, Angi, have four children, Brianna, Isabella, Jordan, and Benjamin ll.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkerson, Ben 1982 births Living people African-American coaches of American football All-American college football players American football centers Atlanta Falcons players Chicago Bears coaches Cincinnati Bengals players Florida Tuskers players LSU Tigers football coaches LSU Tigers football players New York Giants coaches Players of American football from Port Arthur, Texas 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen Coaches of American football from Texas