One of the unique parts about being a high school football coach is the ability to watch football from a different lens. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to surround myself with great teachers of the game who have influenced me in a positive way.

I am a very big proponent of a strong leader who can command the room but also be able to relate and care for their players and their families. The saying has always been, “It’s not the X’s and the O’s but the Jimmys and the Joes” and that could not be more true for the majority of the National Football League and the head men in charge along with all of the sports in the entire world.

As we head toward the playoffs, many NFL teams will begin their quest to find their new leader for their organization, some coaches will be fired, and some will either retire and/or take a new position elsewhere. Sometimes the grass is not always greener on the other side for these gentlemen as we have found out over the years.

As someone who watches every NFL game through NFL Redzone along with highlights through social media, I have witnessed what has gone right for organizations and what has gone wrong without being in the actual locker room. Combining a fan’s perspective along with a coach’s perspective brings about a new form of understanding, one that I am excited to share my thoughts on in this article and all the future articles that discuss future NFL assistants as permanent head coaches.

This article will discuss three reasons as to why San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks should be an NFL head football coach come the 2024 season.

1. Prior Experience 

Coach Wilks’ journey to the NFL has been a long and exhausting one. He has been an assistant coach at eight different colleges before finally getting his chance in the NFL in 2006 under Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith. Wilks was the defensive backs coach from 2006-2008 and had coached a potential future Hall of Fame cornerback in Charles “Peanut” Tillman.

After spending three seasons in Chicago, Wilks then went to the San Diego Chargers in 2009 and spent three seasons there under the same role – defensive backs coach. The list goes on and on as he has been a assistant coach on a total of 15 different teams from the collegiate rankings to the National Football League.

Here is a breakdown of where he has been at as this relates directly to his experience that he has soaked up over the years.

• Johnson C Smith – DC – 1995-1996
• Savannah State – DC – 1997-1998
• Savannah State – HC – 1999 – 5-6 Record
• Illinois State – DBs – 2000
• Appalachian State – DBs – 2001
• East Tennessee State – DC – 2002
• Bowling Green – DBs – 2003
• Notre Dame – DBs – 2004
• Washington – Secondary – 2005
• Chicago Bears – DBs – 2006-2008
• San Diego Chargers – DBs – 2009-2011
• Carolina Panthers – DBs – 2012-2014
• Carolina Panthers – Assistant HC/ DBs – 2015-2016
• Carolina Panthers – Assistant HC/ DC – 2017
• Arizona Cardinals – HC – 2018 – 3-13 Record
• Cleveland Browns – DC – 2019
• Missouri – DC – 2021
• Carolina Panthers – Passing Game Coordinator/ Secondary – 2022
• Carolina Panthers – Interim Head Coach – 2022 – 6-6 Record
• San Francisco 49ers – DC – 2023-Present

Total Record: 9-19 (.321 Winning Percentage)

The winning percentage does not tell the entire story of Wilks as his first head coaching stint in the NFL was in 2018 with the Cardinals. This is the same team that fired Wilks after a 3-13 season but did not support him with the roster decisions. General manager Steve Keim drafted Josh Rosen and then the following year they admitted their mistake and chose Kyler Murray with the first pick in the draft.

I will die on the hill that no matter who was coaching that football team in 2018 that it was impossible to win. The fact that Wilks won three games is a miracle in my honest opinion.

To conclude, it is evident that with all of the stops throughout his entire coaching career, along with his current position as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, a defense that is top 5 in the NFL right now, Wilks’ prior experience has shaped him into the person he is. Looking at his head coaching role in 2018 compared to when he was the interim with the Panthers in 2022 is night and day. It showed the he learned from his mistakes and adapted and fit his personnel of players better, something that the current 2023 Panthers struggled to execute.

2. Leader of Men: 

There was a recent video that I watched on social media that actually prompted me to write this article. I knew that Coach Wilks could command a room and be a leader of men, but I did not understand just how much of an impact that he has had on the 49ers’ players as this is his first stint with the team as their defensive coordinator.

Wilks presented defensive lineman Arik Armstead with his Walter Payton Man of the Year Nomination in front of his defensive room.

Arik Armstead: The Blueprint

During the defense's weekly team meeting, Steve Wilks and the 49ers D-line surprised @arikarmstead with his fourth-consecutive nomination for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award pres. by @Nationwide ❤️#WPMOYChallenge pic.twitter.com/w3kjprnsop

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 7, 2023

As you can see from the video, Wilks not only commanded the entire room but his love for his players is seen throughout. He is someone who is extremely likeable with former players from his time with the Panthers discussing their love for Coach Wilks.

According to an NFL.com article titled, ‘Panthers improve to 5-8, ‘ride behind’ interim coach Steve Wilks with chance to reach postseason, Panthers’ former first-round linebacker Shaq Thompson mentioned his love for Wilks and what he brings to the table.

“We ride behind Wilks… He came in here, he’s a true alpha, he’s a true leader, and guys follow behind him.”

Thompson’s comments were not the only ones over the years as there are many more who share the same sentiment.

One thing that is certain when it comes to Wilks and that is he is extremely authentic and puts the players in mind first. In order to win in any sport, there needs to be trust. In order to earn the trust of your players, coaching staff, and the entire organization, you must first build it. Wilks’ authentic approach to coaching is something that has been lost in recent years.

The players need to hear the truth at times and sometimes sugarcoating or being the type whose answers are politically correct, just to not get yourself in trouble is one thing that the players do not want in their head coach.

Wilks is the epitome of a leader of men and someone who can look them in their eyes and teach them the rights and wrongs not only in the game of football but also life.

3. Strong Football IQ: 

Wilks’ defense struggled during their three-game losing streak but has since adapted and developed into a force to be reckoned with. The 49ers currently have a top five defense in the NFL and have established themselves as a top-tier team once again.

The number three characteristic for Wilks and his role as a future head coach is his strong football IQ. Without this high intelligence, he would not have been given multiple opportunities over the years, especially in the NFL, a league that is a results business. I am not going to go into immense details with the X’s and O’s, that may be a future article, but just know that Steve Wilks’ impact on the 49ers’ defense over the last five games have resulted in a five-game winning streak and the most points allowed during that span was in week 13, versus the Eagles where his defense allowed 19 total points.

49ers Defense – Last 5 Games:

Week 10 at Jacksonville – Final 34-3 (3 Points Allowed)

Week 11 vs Tampa Bay – Final 27-14 (14 Points Allowed)

Week 12 at Seattle – Final 31-13 (13 Points Allowed)

Week 13 at Philadelphia – Final 42-19 (19 Points Allowed)

Week 14 vs Seattle – 28-16 (16 Points Allowed)

Do not mention those three losses in a row where two of the games his defense allowed 19 points to the Browns and 22 points to the Vikings, both were losses due to the offense’s inability to put points on the board.

The most points allowed on the season is 31 in a 31-17 loss to the Bengals in week 8.

The second most points allowed is 23 and that is in week two versus the Los Angeles Rams, a team who has an offensive minded coach in Sean McVay.

Wilks knows his X’s and O’s but he is far more focused on his Jimmys and Joes as the 49ers head into postseason play.

Prediction: 

I am making a bold prediction in December, extremely early, that Steve Wilks will be another head coach in the NFL sooner rather than later. While other coaches such as Josh McDaniels were given another chance and failed, Wilks has his 2022 Panthers interim season with a 6-6 record to prove that he utilized his players’ talents and put them in the best possible position to succeed, improving from his 3-13 Cardinals stint.