McDaniel Named New Defensive Line Coach at Tulane
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Tulane head coach Will Hall announced Monday that Eric McDaniel has been named the Green Wave's new defensive line coach.
McDaniel replaces Landius Wilkerson who left Tulane for the defensive line position at Arkansas.
McDaniel joins Tulane from Florida, where he served as assistant defensive line coach since December under former Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall, who joined the Gators from Uptown earlier that month.
Prior to that, McDaniel returned to Appalachian State as its defensive line coach for the 2024 season, after two years as its quality control coach in 2016 and 2017. In between, he spent two seasons at Louisville (2019-2020 as Defensive Quality Control), one year at Army (2021 as Defensive Line coach), and two seasons at Troy (2022-2023 as Defensive Line coach). During his time at Troy, he worked alongside Sumrall and current Tulane defensive coordinator Tayler Polk. With Troy, McDaniel contributed to a record-setting defense that helped the team win Sun Belt championships in 2022 and 2023.
"We are very excited for our players to bring Eric McDaniel to our program," said Hall. "We have several staff members who have worked with Eric in his past. Every one of them vouched for his character and how much he cares for his players. They absolutely rave about him as a fundamental developer of defensive line, as well. Roll Wave!!!"
In recognition of his efforts at Troy in 2023, McDaniel was named one of five finalists for FootballScoop's National Defensive Line Coach of the Year.
Under McDaniel's leadership, Troy's defensive line helped the Trojans set a Sun Belt record with 47 sacks in 2023, ranking No. 2 nationally. Defensive end Javon Solomon earned All-America honors and led all FBS players with 16 sacks. T.J. Jackson also earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors.
Overall, Troy's defense ranked in the top 10 nationally in points allowed, sacks, and tackles for loss per game, finishing 11-3 and defeating Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Championship Game.
In 2022, two of McDaniel's defensive linemen—Jackson and Will Choloh—earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors. That season, Troy finished 12-2, won the Cure Bowl, and ended the year on an 11-game winning streak. The team was ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25 and No. 20 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll, marking the program's first appearance in major polls.
"I'm excited to join this staff and be a part of this team," said McDaniel. "I'm looking forward to keeping the Wave rolling and representing a physical and attacking front, adding to the championship culture that has been built here!"
McDaniel helped guide Army to a 9-4 record in 2021, capped by a victory over Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl. Army's defense ranked 17th nationally, allowing just 328.4 yards per game, and set a school record with 30 sacks.
Army's defense also excelled at getting off the field, limiting opponents to just 24:28 of possession per game—tied for the lowest in the country.
At Louisville, McDaniel helped improve the defense by over 10 points per game and more than doubled the team's sack total from the 2018 season. During his initial tenure at Appalachian State, the defense ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense at 17.8 points per game, with seven games holding opponents to 10 or fewer points. The Mountaineers also ranked No. 1 nationally in fewest big plays allowed and 17th in sacks with 38.
McDaniel began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Muskingum University (2014 and 2015 seasons) at the NCAA Division III level.
He earned his degree in health and kinesiology from Purdue in 2014, after playing 15 games for the Boilermakers from 2009-2013. McDaniel also holds a master's degree in education from Muskingum, earned in 2016.
Portions Courtesy Tulane Athletics
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.