NC State Wolfpack football's new receivers coach is Joker Phillips

NC State football made official the news that trickled out earlier this week: Maryland co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Joker Phillips will replace George McDonald as the Wolfpack's new receivers coach.

Phillips will also have the title as assistant head coach.

"I'm excited to add Joker to our staff," Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said. "He brings a wealth of experience in the Power 5 and the NFL and is a proven recruiter, mentor and developer of players. He's worked with two of our offensive coaches in the past and will be a great fit here at NC State."

The Wolfpacker previously reported this was a possibility Monday afternoon on The Wolves' Den message board.

Phillips had previously worked for NC State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Beck at Ohio State. In 2016, when Beck was a co-offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes, Phillips was a quality control assistant. Phillips also has experience working with Pack running backs coach Kurt Roper.

"I'm happy to be a part of the Wolfpack and I am excited about helping the team realize Coach Doeren's vision for the program," said Phillips. "I'm also looking forward to working again with some great friends in the profession: Tim Beck and Roper."

Phillips, a Kentucky alum, broke in as a receivers coach at Kentucky from 1991-96 before leaving for two years to coach at Cincinnati. Then came stops at Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina before returning to Kentucky in 2003.

That was the start of a near-decade run with the Wildcats, with Phillips working his way up to the head coaching job in 2010. He went 13-24 in three seasons before being let go in 2012. He landed at Florida for one season as a receivers coach before taking 2014 off. He spent 2015 in the NFL coaching wideouts for the Cleveland Browns.

After his year at Ohio State, he coached wideouts for two seasons at Cincinnati before taking the job at Maryland.

Here is the full press release from NC State:

NC State head coach Dave Doeren has announced that Joker Phillips will join the Wolfpack staff as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach. Phillips boasts over three decades of experience as a head coach, offensive coordinator, NFL assistant, and wide receiver coach.

"I'm excited to add Joker to our staff," Doeren said. "He brings a wealth of experience in the Power 5 and the NFL and is a proven recruiter, mentor and developer of players. He's worked with two of our offensive coaches in the past and will be a great fit here at NC State."

Phillips, who spent the past two seasons as the co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach at Maryland, was on the staff at Ohio State in 2016 when current Wolfpack OC Tim Beck was the co-OC. He also worked with current Pack RB coach Kurt Roper at Kentucky (2005) and at the Cleveland Browns (2015).

A former head coach at the University of Kentucky, Phillips has extensive experience coaching receivers, with stops at Cincinnati, Minnesota, Notre Dame, South Carolina, and Florida also on his resume.

In 2019 and 2020, Phillips coached All-Big Ten wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. at Maryland and helped the Terps' offense score 142 points in the first two games of the '19 season (79 - Howard, 63 - #21 Syracuse), the most by a Big Ten team since 1936 (Ohio State, 1996) and the third most by any FBS team over that span. Demus ranked eighth in the Big Ten in receiving last season.

He went to Maryland following his second stint at Cincinnati, coaching wide receivers in 2017 and '18. Phillips helped the Bearcats to an 11-2 record and a win over Virginia Tech in the 2018 Military Bowl. Under his tutelage, wide receiver Kahlil Lewis ranked seventh in the American Athletic by averaging 4.3 receptions per game for 782 yards and nine touchdowns. He also coached the Bearcats wide receivers in 1997 and the Cincy defensive backs in 1998.

In 2016, he was an offensive quality control coach at Ohio State while Beck was the offensive coordinator.

Phillips spent the 2015 season as the wide receivers coach for the Cleveland Browns and has developed 11 wide receivers into NFL draft picks, including Troy Williamson (first round), Randall Cobb (second round), Steve Johnson (seventh round) and David Givens (seventh round).

He served as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida in 2013 following three seasons (2010-12) as the head coach at Kentucky. He became the first coach in Kentucky history to lead the team to a bowl game in his first season (BBVA Compass Bowl), and he won more games than any first-year UK coach since Blanton Collier in 1954.

A Kentucky grad, Phillips spent 19 years coaching at the school between two stints (1989-98 and 2003-12). He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UK in 1988 and spent 13 seasons coaching the school's wide receivers, including adding offensive coordinator and head coach of the offense responsibilities. As offensive coordinator in 2007, he guided Kentucky's offense to a school record 475 points. That season he also helped the Wildcats defeat No. 1 LSU, 43-37.

Phillips has also had stints at Minnesota (1999-2000), Notre Dame (2001) and South Carolina (2002).

At Minnesota, Phillips guided All-Big Ten wide receiver Ron Johnson, who went on to play for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. In his year at Notre Dame, Phillips placed two wideouts in the NFL, Javin Hunter and David Givens.

Phillips returned to UK from South Carolina, where he coached the wide receivers under head coach Lou Holtz in 2002. Gamecocks newcomer Troy Williamson earned SEC All-Freshman honors that year and went on to become the No. 7 pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

In addition to his coaching, Phillips also is known as a highly effective recruiter. He has been identified as one of the nation's top recruiters by SI.com and Rivals.com.

As a wide receiver at Kentucky, Phillips finished his career fifth on the school receiving list with 75 receptions for 935 yards and nine touchdowns. He played two seasons in the NFL with Washington (1985 and 1987) and spent one year (1986) with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He earned his bachelor's degree in advertising from UK in 1986.

Phillips participated in football, basketball and track at Franklin-Simpson High School. He was an all-state selection in football, playing quarterback and cornerback, and was an all-region selection in basketball.

Born Joe Phillips Jr., the native of Franklin, Kentucky, was nicknamed Joker as a baby by his grandfather to help distinguish Joker from his father, Joe Sr.

2021: NC State – Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers

2019-20: Maryland – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers

2017-18: Cincinnati - Wide Receivers

2016: Ohio State - Offensive Quality Control

2015: Cleveland Browns - Wide Receivers

2013: Florida - Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator

2010-12: Kentucky - Head Coach

2009: Kentucky - Head Coach of the Offense/Wide Receivers

2005-08: Kentucky - Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers

2003-04: Kentucky - Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator

2002: South Carolina - Wide Receivers

2001: Notre Dame - Wide Receivers

1999-2000: Minnesota - Wide Receivers

1998: Cincinnati - Defensive Backs

1997: Cincinnati - Wide Receivers

1991-96: Kentucky - Wide Receivers

1990: Kentucky - Assistant Recruiting Coordinator

1988-89: Kentucky - Graduate Assistant

——

• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker

• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker

• Like us on Facebook