Ike Hilliard is in his first season as the Steelers wide receivers coach in 2020 and 10th year as a wide receivers coach in the National Football League. Hilliard was hired by Pittsburgh on February 18, 2020.
Hilliard served as the wide receivers coach in Washington for seven seasons over two different stints (2012), including the last six years. He has also served as the wide receivers coach in Buffalo (2013) and assistant wide receivers coach in Miami (2011).
Under Hilliard's tutelage in 2019, wideout Terry McLaurin had one of the top rookie receiving seasons in Redskins history. He led Washington in all three major receiving categories. McLaurin registered 58 catches for 919 yards and 7 TD receptions in 14 games. His 919 receiving yards and 7 TDs ranked second in franchise rookie history. Among all NFL rookies, McLaurin ranked second in receiving yards, tied for second in receptions and tied for third in TD receptions. He also ranked second in yards per catch (15.8) among rookies with at least 20 receptions.
In 2018, Hilliard played a major role in wide receiver Josh Doctson setting single season career highs in receptions (44) and receiving yards (532). He also oversaw a season in which Jamison Crowder set a single season high in yards per reception with a mark of 13.4 and he was instrumental in the development of rookie wide receiver Trey Quinn who had success in the limited action he saw due to injury.
Hilliard guided a young wide receiver corps in 2017 that helped quarter- back Kirk Cousins become the first player in team history to record a third consecutive 4,000-yard passing season. Jamison Crowder led the Redskins in receptions (66) and receiving yards (789),and at age 24 on the final day of the calendar year, became the youngest player to lead the Redskins in receptions since Gary Clark (24) in 1986. Meanwhile, second-year pro Josh Doctson, who had been limited by injury to only two games in his rookie campaign, led the Redskins with 6 receiving TDs, and fourth-year pro Ryan Grant recorded career highs in receptions (45), receiving yards (573) and receiving TDs (4).
Hilliard's group played a major role in the Redskins' record-setting offense in 2016, a unit that set single-season team records in yards per game (403.4), yards per play (6.40), net passing yards (4,758), completions (407), passing first downs (226) and 500-yard games (three). Veteran wideouts Pierre Garçon (1,041) and DeSean Jackson (1,005) both eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season, representing the first time the Red- skins featured multiple 1,000-yard receivers since 1999 (Albert Connell and Michael Westbrook). Meanwhile, in his second season, Crowder took another step as one of the league's most underrated slot receivers, leading the Redskins with 7 TD receptions while contributing 847 receiving yards on 67 receptions.
During the Redskins' NFC East championship season in 2015, Hilliard coached a group that prominently featured two prolific veterans (Garçon and Jackson) and two young players in their first or second NFL seasons (Crowder and Ryan Grant, respectively). Garçon posted 72 receptions, the second-highest total of his career, while Jackson recorded 528 receiving yards and 4 TDs despite being limited by injury to nine games. Hilliard's guidance also helped Crowder to a Redskins-rookie-record 59 receptions in 2015.
In his return to Washington in 2014, Hilliard managed the incorporation of Jackson into the team's offense after joining the team as a free agent. Jackson led the Redskins with 1,169 receiving yards on 56 receptions, becoming the fifth member of the Redskins to post 1,000 receiving yards in his first season in Washington (Bobby Mitchell in 1962, Henry Ellard in 1994, Laveranues Coles in 2003 and Santana Moss in 2005). Jackson averaged an NFL-best 20.9 yards per reception and was the first member of the Redskins to finish a season as the NFL leader in yards per reception since Henry Ellard (19.5 in 1996).
Hilliard served as wide receivers coach for the Buffalo Bills in 2013, helping mold a young group that included rookie second-round pick Robert Woods (40 receptions for 587 yards with 3 TDs) and rookie third-round pick Marquise Goodwin (17 receptions for 283 yards with 3 TDs).
In his first stint with the Redskins in 2012, Hilliard guided the team's receivers to the franchise's first division title since 1999. He incorporated free agents Pierre Garçon and Joshua Morgan into the offense, helping Garçon lead the team in receiving yards (633 in only 10 games) and helping Morgan lead the Redskins in receptions (48). Hilliard also oversaw the resurgence of veteran slot receiver Santana Moss, who caught 41 passes for 573 yards and 8 TDs, his most since recording 9 receiving TDs in his first season in Washington in 2005. The group's toughness on the perimeter also helped the offense rush for a League-best 2,709 yards, a franchise record.
In 2011, Hilliard served as the assistant wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins. He helped in the development of wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who was selected for his third Pro Bowl and first as a member of the Dolphins. Additionally, Marshall finished third in the AFC in receiving yards with 1,214 and recorded his fifth-consecutive 1,000-plus yard season.
Prior to joining the Dolphins, Hilliard spent two seasons coaching for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. Hilliard worked as a volunteer coach with the Tuskers in 2009 and was elevated to the position of Receivers Coach for 2010.
As a player, Hilliard was a first-round selection in the 1997 NFL Draft (No. 7 overall). He played 12 seasons, eight with the New York Giants (1997-2004) and four with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2005-08). In 161 career games (106 starts), Hilliard caught 546 passes for 6,397 yards and 35 TDs.
Hilliard played collegiately at the University of Florida from 1994-96, catching 126 passes for 2,214 yards and 26 TDs. He earned first-team All-SEC and All-American honors as a junior. In the final game that season, he recorded 7 catches for 150 yards and 3 TDs to help lead the Gators to a 52-20 Sugar Bowl win to secure the school's first national championship.
Hilliard is a native of Patterson, La.
