Eric Wolford, a former head coach at Youngstown who has nearly 25 years of offensive line coaching experience, joined the Tiger coaching staff in December. Wolford joined the LSU staff after two seasons at Kentucky as serves as the Tigers’ offensive line coach.
Wolford comes to LSU after coaching offensive lines in the SEC for the past nine seasons, a stretch that includes stops at South Carolina (2017-20), Kentucky (2021, 2024-25), and Alabama (2022-23).
In addition to his offensive line coaching experience, Wolford spent five seasons (2010-14) as head coach at Youngstown State, leading the Penguins to a 31-26 mark and to a pair of Top 25 finishes in 2013 and 2014. As head coach at Youngstown State, his 2012 team beat Pitt, the first win over a Power 4 team in program history, along with a win over No. 1-ranked North Dakota State in 2011.
After going 3-8 in his first season, Wolford guided Youngstown State to a 28-18 mark over his final four campaigns with the Penguins breaking into the nation’s Top 10 three times during that span.
Most recently, Wolford spent two seasons at Kentucky (2024-25) coaching the offensive line.
At Alabama in 2023, he guided an offensive line that blocked for the fourth-best scoring offense in the Southeastern Conference and No. 23 in the nation, recording 34.0 points per game.
That year, Alabama posted a 12-2 mark and claimed the SEC Championship with a win over Georgia, ending the Bulldogs’ 29-game winning streak. Alabama’s offensive line racked up 172.9 yards per game on the ground, ranking in the top half of the league and top 50 in the nation, with 32 touchdowns rushing. His offensive line also helped protect quarterback Jalen Milroe, who had a 65.8 percent completion percentage (187-284-6) for 2,834 yards and 23 touchdowns passing in 13 games.
Three of his offensive linemen earned post season honors as JC Latham was named to the All-SEC First Team by the AP and conference coaches and was a second-team All-American by several media outlets. Tyler Booker was named to the All-SEC First Team by the AP and was an All-SEC Second Team choice from the conference coaches. Kaydn Procter was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team and was a Freshman All-American by On3.com.
In Wolford’s first season in Tuscaloosa in 2022, he led an offensive line that opened holes for an additional 45.5 rushing yards per game and surrendered 20 fewer sacks than the season prior. Senior guard Emil Ekiyor Jr. earned All-SEC First Team recognition, while both Javion Cohen and Tyler Steen garnered second-team accolades. Tyler Booker was named a Freshman All-America honoree from 247Sports, as well as SEC All-Freshman plaudits. The Crimson Tide went 11-2, tied for first in the SEC Western Division, and defeated Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl.
In his first season at Kentucky in 2021, he rebuilt an offensive front that lost three starters into a unit that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the nation’s top offensive line. The Wildcats averaged 5.23 yards per carry that season, while 53.1 percent of their rush attempts went for four yards or more to lead the nation. Two of his players from that season earned All-SEC honors, were drafted – Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard. Kinnard also won the 2021 SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy, just the second player in school history to win the award.
Before his first stint in Lexington, he had a second stint at South Carolina, spending four seasons as the offensive line coach in Columbia from 2017 to 2020.
At South Carolina in 2020, Wolford’s unit helped pave the way for running back Kevin Harris to lead the conference in rushing and rewrite the Gamecocks’ record book. Harris finished the regular season with 1,138 yards rushing, just the ninth player in school history to rush for 1,000-plus yards in a season. He had five 100-yard games, including two with 200-plus yards, joining George Rogers and Marcus Lattimore as the only players in school history with multiple 200-yard games.
In 2019, the offensive line helped five different running backs rush for more than 100 yards in a game.
In 2018, the Gamecocks went 7-6 and advanced to the Belk Bowl. The team averaged 30.1 points, 152.8 yards rushing, 272.8 yards passing and 425.6 total yards, the best marks since 2014. They had five games of 500 yards or more for the first time in school history, including back-to-back games of 600 yards against Chattanooga and Clemson. In his first season with the Gamecocks, South Carolina finished 9-4 and defeated Michigan in the Outback Bowl, 26-19.
South Carolina’s number of sacks allowed dipped from 41 in 2016, the year prior to Wolford’s arrival, to 29 in 2017 and to 23 in 2018, the fewest since 2013. Even more impressively, in SEC play the sacks allowed number dropped from 31 in 2016, to 18 in 2017, to just 12 in 2018.
Off the field, Wolford was named a top-25 recruiter by Rivals following the 2018 February signing date.
Wolford spent the previous two seasons (2015, 2016) in the NFL as the San Francisco 49ers assistant offensive line coach.
Prior to his time with the 49ers, Wolford logged 19 seasons as a coach at the collegiate level, including five (2010-14) as the head coach at Youngstown State University
Wolford also served as South Carolina’s run game coordinator and offensive line coach in 2009 under head coach Steve Spurrier after a two-year term at Illinois where he held a similar post. Under Wolford’s tutelage, the Illini, who played in the 2008 Rose Bowl game, led the Big Ten in rushing (2007) and passing (2008), while topping the 5,000-yard mark in total offense for just the third and fourth times in school history. Wolford was a Rivals Top-20 National Recruiter in 2008.
Wolford spent three seasons (2004-06) at Arizona as the offensive line coach, where he was on the same staff as Mark Stoops. UA led the league in fewest sacks allowed in 2004 and was second in 2005. He was also an integral part of back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes.
Wolford spent the 2003 season at North Texas, where his offensive line paved the way for tailback Patrick Cobbs, who earned the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Award. Wolford also helped lead UNT to its third-consecutive bid to the New Orleans Bowl.
Before joining North Texas, Wolford enjoyed three-year stints at both Houston and South Florida. While at Houston, he coached a number of positions, spanning offense, defense and special teams. In 2002, Houston enjoyed a dramatic turnaround, going from a winless season to five victories. During that time, Wolford coached five all-conference players.
Wolford had the unique experience of coaching in the first three seasons of the USF football program, helping to lead the Bulls to two winning seasons. In year two, the offense put up over 400 yards per game.
Wolford began his coaching career at his alma mater, Kansas State, where he worked as a graduate assistant with the offensive line under John Latina. He then spent two years as the offensive line and strength coach at Emporia State.
Wolford was a four-year starter as an offensive guard at Kansas State under legendary coach Bill Snyder. He started 34 games during his career at Kansas State, including 21 straight at right guard and 13 at left guard. As a senior, the Wildcats appeared in a bowl game for only the second time in program history, beating Wyoming in the 1993 Copper Bowl for the school’s first bowl victory. The Wildcats finished 1993 with a school-record nine wins and the school’s first-ever AP Top 25 ranking.
After college, Wolford signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals before returning to Manhattan to embark on his coaching career.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, attended Ursuline High School where he was enshrined into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. He received his bachelor’s degree in social sciences with a focus on monetary policy and banking from Kansas State in 1994. He and his wife, Melinda, have two children, Stone and Marlee.
Eric and Melinda started a non-profit organization, inspired by their son, Stone, who was diagnosed with Cardiofaciocutaneous Syndrome (CFC Syndrome) as a baby. Their foundation is called the No Stone Unturned Foundation and is dedicated to embracing, engaging and empowering children with special needs and their families, with a major focus on any child with any disability. For more information on the No Stone Unturned Foundation, visit the website here: NSUF.org.
The Eric Wolford File
Year at LSU (in 2026-27): First
Birthdate: April 5, 1971
Hometown: Youngstown, Ohio
College: Kansas State (1994 – Social Sciences with emphasis on Monetary Policy and Banking)
Wife: Melinda
Children: Stone and Marlee
Coaching Experience
1995 Kansas State (Graduate Assistant)
1996 Emporia State (Offensive Line/Strength Coach)
1997-99 South Florida (Offensive Line)
2000-02 Houston (Offensive Line)
2003 North Texas (Offensive Line)
2004-06 Arizona (Offensive Line)
2007-08 Illinois (Offensive Line)
2009 South Carolina (Offensive Line)
2010-14 Youngstown State (Head Coach)
2015-16 San Francisco 49ers (Assistant Offensive Line)
2017-20 South Carolina (Offensive Line)
2021 Kentucky (Offensive Line)
2022-23 Alabama (Offensive Line)
2024-25 Kentucky (Offensive Line)
2026 LSU (Offensive Line)