Brandon Wilkins just completed his fifth season (2024-25) with the SMU men’s golf program, serving as Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator. He helped the Mustangs to the 2021 NCAA Championships and 2024 NCAA Championship. The team finished T17th nationally in his first year on the Hilltop.
In 2024-25, The Mustangs won two tournament titles and captured three individual first places. At the prestigious Stephens Cup, Will Sides took home individual medalist honors and the Mustangs made it to the Championship match. At the Trinity Forest Invite, Wilkins guided Zachary Kingsland to a first-place finish. Wilkins and the Mustangs won the Vaqueros Intercollegiate in the first event of the spring. They followed up the victory with another win at the Hal Williams Collegiate. Kingsland again won an individual title there. At the program's first ACC Championship, the Mustangs advanced to the match play quarterfinals. The team made the NCAA Regional for the fourth time in five seasons with Wilkins on staff.
In 2023-24, the Mustangs finished in second at the AAC Championship, their sixth straight performance at the conference championship of third or better, and earned a bid to the NCAA Stanford Regional. SMU advanced to the NCAA Championship for the second time under the guidance of Wilkins.The Mustangs took home one individual medalist honor during the season.
In 2022-23, Wilkins and the Mustangs finished in third at the AAC Championship, the program's fifth straight top-three finish at conference. Wilkins also aided the team in winning two individual titles during the season.
In his five-year assistant coaching career, Wilkins has seen his players earn all-conference selections 12 times, All-America status twice and had two conference players of the year. His teams have made NCAA Regionals in four of five seasons held and have won a combined four team tournament titles, including helping Denver to the 2019 Summit League title.
In 2021-22, Wilkins and the Mustangs earned both team and individual medalist honors behind a course-record -29 performance in the American Athletic Conference Tournament at Southern Hills.
During the 2020-21 season, he helped the Mustangs to a tournament title, and saw Noah Goodwin earn medalist honors at the NCAA Stillwater Regional. Goodwin went on to earn AAC Player of the Year, one of three all-conference selections from the SMU team. The Mustangs, who advanced to the NCAA Championships, finished the year with the second-best national ranking (18th) and scoring average (286.08) in school history. In addition, SMU’s Mac Meissner won the Byron Nelson Award and Nathan Petronzio was selected as the AAC’s Freshman of the Year.
Wilkins came to the Hilltop after two seasons (2018-20) as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Denver. In his first season at Denver, Wilkins helped lead the Pioneers to the 2019 Summit League Championship, earning the team’s first NCAA Regional berth since 2014. He helped mentor Cal McCoy to two individual tournament titles, including medalist honors at the Summit League Championship, and an improvement in the World Amateur Golf Rankings from 3600 to 524. McCoy went on to earn Summit League Player of the Year honors. Two additional golfers earned tournament championships during his first season, picking up wins at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate and the UNC Greeley Invitational.
During the shortened 2019-20 season, Denver registered three top-five finishes, including a win at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, and three individuals took home titles. The team also set a single-season program record with a 287.0 scoring average.
Prior his stint in the Mile High City, Wilkins spent two seasons (2016-18) as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater, Abilene Christian. Wilkins assisted in the successful transition from NCAA Division II to Division I, helping coach the Wildcats to their first Division I team event title. He also helped mentor a pair of all-conference selections, as well as two academic All-Americans. During the 2017-18 season, the team improved by over 70 spots in the Golfstat rankings from 227 to 163.
Wilkins has significant caddy experience on the Web.com tour, APT, and different mini-tours, as well as at the U.S., Canadian and Latin America Amateur Championships.
Wilkins earned a bachelor of business administration in management from ACU in 2016 and an associate’s degree from McLennan Community College in 2014. He was a two-year letterwinner under GCAA Hall of Fame Head Coach Vince Clark at McLennan, before playing his final two seasons at ACU. He earned Southland Conference Commissioner Honor Roll accolades as a junior and senior. His career-best finish came at the UTRGV Bronc Invitational where he finished tied for 12th.
Wilkins Timeline:
2020-Present: SMU (assistant coach)
2018-20: Denver (assistant coach)
2016-18: Abilene Christian (assistant coach)
2014-16: Abilene Christian (student-athlete)
2012-14: McLennan CC (student-athlete)
Wilkins By The Numbers:
14: All-conference selections
6: Team tournament titles
2: All-America selections
2: Conference golfers of the year
5: NCAA Regional Appearances
