COACHING STAFF
John Lilly Tight Ends
Birthdate: June 21, 1968 Birthplace: Beckley, WVa. High School: Woodrow Wilson College: Guilford ‘90 Coaching Experience: 1991-94, Northwest Guilford High School, Greensboro, N.C.; 1995, Florida State University (videographer); 1996-97, Florida State University (Grad. Asst.); 1998-2007, Florida State University (Tight Ends, Recruiting Coordinator); 2008-11, Georgia (Tight Ends). Playing Experience: Guilford (1986-89) – Quarterback, wide receiver…won Golden Helmet Award as the ideal Guilford player and chosen team captain as a senior…Deans List all four years. Woodrow Wilson High School: Quarterback. .
"Coach Lilly is a great coach with an unbelievable work ethic and a high football I.Q. But what makes him great is his character. It's his ability to connect with his players and the fact that he never gives up on them." -- Art Lynch
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John Lilly was named tight ends coach at UGA on Jan. 24, 2008, after serving as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida State University from 1998-2007. Lilly, a native of Beckley, West Virginia, is a 1990 graduate of Guilford College (N.C.). During his three seasons at UGA the Bulldogs have won 24 games including two bowl victories. Aron White, his starting tight end in 2009, was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player in the 2009 Advocare V100 Independence Bowl following his two-TD performance. His true freshman tight end, Orson Charles, was named to most of the 2009 Freshman All-America first teams after finishing as the team's third leading receiver with 23 catches for 374 yards and three TD's. As a sophomore he recorded 26 catches for 422 yards and two TD's earning All-SEC second team honoros in 2010. Lilly has also headed up the Bulldogs' punt team since his arrival in Athens and in 2009 the unit, led by Consensus All-American and Ray Guy Award winning Punter Drew Butler was first in the nation in Net Punting with an average of 41.95 yards per punt. In 2010 Georgia finished fourth nationally in Net Punting with a 40.6 yard average. Lilly’s tight ends at FSU were a productive part of the Seminole offense especially in recent years. In 2006, his tight ends recorded 38 catches, the most receptions as a group since 1990 and second-most receptions in FSU history by the tight end position. In 2006, he coached Brandon Warren, the first tight end in school history to receive freshman All-America honors and only the third tight end ever at FSU to receive All-America recognition. In 2005 and ’06 his tight ends registered back-to-back seasons with 30 or more catches for the first time since 1990 and ’91. Under Lilly’s direction, four of FSU’s recruiting classes between 2002 and 2007 were ranked in the top four in the nation. The Seminoles’ 2001 and 2005 classes were ranked number one nationally in some polls. Prior to being named recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach, Lilly served as a graduate assistant (1996-97) and videographer (1995) at FSU. He was an assistant coach at Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., from 1991-94. Lilly played quarterback, wide receiver and special teams for the Guilford Quakers and was named recipient of the Golden Helmet Award as the ideal Guilford College player as a senior. He was a Dean’s List student all four years at Guilford and was chosen team captain as a senior. Lilly is married to the former Cheryl Brown of Tallahassee, Fla. They have one daughter, Allison Catherine, 2, and one son, Caleb Jackson, born March 5, 2011.