BREAKING: Sloan, Hankton will be LSU's co-offensive coordinators

LSU head coach Brian Kelly has chosen to move forward with co-offensive coordinators for the 2024 season, sources tell The Bengal Tiger staff.

LSU quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton are set to be promoted to the program’s full-time co-offensive coordinators, which comes on the heels of being named co-offensive coordinators for the bowl game win over Wisconsin.

The move replaces the void left by former offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, who accepted the same position at Notre Dame after two seasons with head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers.

Sloan worked with Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels during his first two seasons in Baton Rouge, and he’s signed a pair of quarterbacks who are now on campus in Rickie Collins and Colin Hurley, a transfer addition in Vanderbilt quarterback AJ Swann and has a commitment in from one of the biggest recruits in LSU’s program history in Michigan five-star quarterback and No. 1 overall prospect Bryce Underwood.

Sloan joined the LSU coaching staff in January of 2022 as Kelly’s hire for a quarterbacks coach.

Hankton, who also joined Kelly’s staff ahead of the 2022 season, found success as LSU’s receivers coach and pass game coordinator this past season. Malik Nabers led the country in receiving yards and Brian Thomas Jr. led the NCAA in receiving touchdowns, and both are expected to be first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft this spring.

The promotion of Sloan and Hankton leaves one open on-field spot for Kelly and the LSU coaching staff after five offseason hires were made on defense.

The Joe Sloan File

In his first year at LSU, Sloan helped the Tigers to a 10-win season and claim the SEC Western Division title. Sloan helped develop Jayden Daniels into one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks. Daniels was one of only two players nationally to rush for 800 yards and throw for over 2,500 yards in 2022. Daniels set the LSU record for rushing yards (885) and rushing TDs (11) by a quarterback in his first season with the Tigers. Daniels’ 885 rushing yards was the most for any quarterback in college football last year.

In year two, Daniels took his game to an entirely new level, leading the nation in a number of statistical categories en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. The development made under Sloan from Daniels’ time at Arizona State and across two seasons at LSU was evident, and Daniels is now projected as a likely Top 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Prior to LSU, Sloan spent nine seasons at Louisiana Tech where he helped produce some of the offenses in college football. In his nine seasons with Tech, the Bulldogs appeared in seven bowl games, won at least nine games four times and claimed the Conference USA West title twice.

In addition to his coaching duties at Louisiana Tech, Sloan spearheaded the recruiting efforts for the Bulldogs. Tech’s 2020 signing class ranked No. 1 in Conference USA and was listed as the No. 4 class nationally among the Group of 5 programs. Among his top recruits were a pair of Louisiana natives who went on to earn All-America honors in Jaylon Ferguson and Amik Robertson.

During his time in Ruston, Sloan oversaw the development of some of the program’s top offensive threats. In his nine years in Ruston, 31 Bulldogs on the offensive side of the ball earned all-conference honors, a group that includes quarterback Luke Anthony (2020 C-USA Newcomer of the Year), quarterback J’Mar Smith (2019 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year), wide receiver Teddy Veal (2017 C-USA Newcomer of the Year) and wide receiver Carlos Henderson (2016 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year).

He also coached wide receiver Trent Taylor who from 2013-16 racked up the second-most receiving yards in program history (4,179) and under Sloan’s guidance, finished his career ranked first in school history in receptions with 327. Taylor led the nation in receiving yards in 2016 with 1,803, while Henderson led the country in receiving TDs with 19 that year.

Sloan joined Louisiana Tech in 2013 as inside receivers coach and was elevated to recruiting coordinator in 2014. In 2015 he was named the assistant head coach and prior to the 2019 season, was promoted to co-offensive coordinator. He was named offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs in January of 2020.

In 2019, Sloan helped guide an offense that among C-USA programs, ranked second in scoring (32.5), second in total offense (436.8), fourth in both passing (268.5) and rushing (168.4), first in third-down conversion percentage (41.4) and second in first downs (304).

In 2016, the Bulldogs led their league in several offensive categories, including passing offense (363.4), completion percentage (.667) and first downs (358). Individually, Tech had two players rank among the top five in Conference USA in receiving yards.

In his second season on staff, Sloan played an integral part in LA Tech’s nationally ranked offensive numbers, with the Bulldogs ranking 13th in scoring offense, 15th in fourth down conversion percentage and 22nd in red zone offense.

Sloan got his start in coaching at South Florida, where he served as offensive quality control assistant for two years (2010-11) followed by a season as a graduate assistant. He spent the spring of 2010 as an administrative assistant with an emphasis on recruiting for East Carolina.

As a player, Sloan appeared in 41 games at East Carolina, serving as the holder on placekicks and backup quarterback.

Sloan earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, managerial finance from ECU in December 2008, graduating Summa Cum Laude, before earning his MBA in May 2010. Sloan was selected to the ECU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll each semester at ECU.

The Cortez Hankton File

Cortez Hankton, a native of New Orleans who was part of the coaching staff that helped Georgia to the 2022 national championship, serves as LSU’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. Hankton joined the LSU staff in January of 2022.

In his first year with the Tigers in 2022, Hankton played a key role in one of the most prolific offenses in school history as the Tigers racked up 6,344 total yards and 3,770 passing yards – both rank as the second-highest totals in school history.

Individually, sophomore Malik Nabers established himself as one of the nation’s elite receivers, leading the Tigers with 72 receptions for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns. It was only the 10th 1,000-yard receiving season in school history.

LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.

In year two, Hankton’s receivers took production to a new level en route to the Tigers finishing with the No. 1 offense in college football. Nabers set program records for career catches and yards while leading the NCAA in receiving yards. Thomas caught 17 touchdown passes, the most among any receiver in the NCAA.

Prior to joining the LSU staff, Hankton spent four years at Georgia where he was part of three SEC Eastern Division titles, three New Year’s Six Bowl games and the 2022 College Football Playoff.

Hankton served as the pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Georgia from 2019-22. He joined the Bulldog staff in 2018 as wide receivers coach. In 2021, Georgia led the SEC in yards per play (6.98) and pass efficiency.

At Georgia, Hankton coached SEC All-Freshman wide receiver George Pickens, the MVP of the 2020 Allstate Sugar Bowl victory over Baylor. Additionally, he coached several big-play receivers in 2018 in Terry Godwin, Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley who combined for 1,475 receiving yards. All three were drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft – Hardman, 2nd round, Kansas City; Ridley, 4th round, Chicago; and Godwin, 7th round, Carolina.

Hankton joined the Georgia staff in February of 2018, after coaching wide receivers for three seasons at Vanderbilt, where he coached veteran receivers C.J. Duncan and Trent Sherfield along with Caleb Scott and Kalija Lipscomb. Sherfield ended his career among the program’s best in receptions (136) and 1,869 yards.

Prior to his tenure at Vanderbilt, Hankton coached receivers for three seasons at Dartmouth in the Ivy League (2012-14). During that time, he helped the Big Green to a 20-10 overall record, including an 8-2 mark in 2014.

Hankton’s produced an All-Ivy caliber receiver all three seasons at Dartmouth. In 2012, Michael Reilly earned first-team recognition.

Prior to joining the Dartmouth staff in 2012, Hankton spent three months working as a volunteer assistant with Central Florida. In that role, he assisted in all aspects of the recruiting process. From 2008-10, Hankton spent time training draft-eligible athletes for the NFL combines with Tom Shaw Performance Training Camps. In early 2010, he also served as non-paid receiver coach at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando.

Hankton was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in April of 2003 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his four years with the Jaguars, he caught 34 passes for 310 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both of which came in 2004. Hankton signed with Minnesota Vikings in 2007 and spent the entire 2008 season on injured reserve with Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After his NFL career, he played three seasons with New York, Florida and Virginia of the United Football League.

Hankton received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas Southern in 2002, where he set season and career records for receiving yards. A four-year starter and two-year captain, he was Texas Southern’s MVP and an All-SWAC honoree as a junior and senior. Hankton culminated his career by being named as a Division I-AA third-team all-America by the AP.

Hankton in 2011 created Black Ice Concept, an organization that strives to increase minority presence in winter sports by obtaining sponsorships and funding to subsidize expenses for the athletes. He has demonstrated his commitment to academics many times over as well, including the creation of the Cortez Hankton Scholarship Fund for exemplary student-athletes in 2003 and his work with Read Across America through the NFL and the National Education Association. From 2016-17, Hankton volunteered with “Walk for Wishes,” a fundraising program for Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee.

Off the field at Georgia, Hankton mentored Bulldog football players in their “Dawgs for Pups” campaign which assisted Athens-area children with a number of vital goods and services such as providing internet access for in-home learning, coats during the winter season and a “Food2Kids” snack drive.