For the first time since serving as an offensive graduate assistant at Missouri prior to the 2016 season, Muhammad-Lankford is back at the FBS level after NM State head football coach Jerry Kill named the St. Joseph, Mo., native the Aggies' running backs coach for the 2022 season and beyond.
Directly before signing on as a member of Kill's staff, Muhammad-Lankford spent three seasons in Normal, Ill., where he played the role of Illinois State's wide receivers coach. For the 2020 and 2021 seasons, he was the Redbirds' co-offensive coordinator.
Muhammad-Lankford's debut season in Normal, Ill., coincided with one of the Redbirds' best seasons in the history of the program. Illinois State went 10-5 in 2019, advancing all the way to the FCS quarterfinals where they fell 9-3 to eventual FCS champion North Dakota State.
Another stop in the FCS ranks, this one at Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau, Mo., preceded Muhammad-Lankford's tenure at Illinois State. From 2016-18, he served as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for the Redhawks. With Muhammad-Lankford on staff, Southeast Missouri State enjoyed the best season in the history of the program in 2018. That year the Redhawks collected a program-record nine wins while advancing to the second round of the FCS playoffs.
As the running backs coach, Muhammad-Lankford mentored Marquis Terry who earned multiple All-America honors in 2018. Terry was the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year, after leading the league in rushing yards (1,229), rushing touchdowns (14) and rushing yards per game (94.5). He ran for over 100 yards a league-high six times with an OVC and school record 311 at Southern Illinois (Sept. 15, 2018).Â
A stop at an SEC institution laid the groundwork for Muhammad-Lankford's success as the FCS level. For two seasons (2014 and 2015), he joined then-wide receivers coach Pat Washington's group at Missouri as an offensive graduate assistant. Opponent scouting, game planning and assisting with recruiting were just some of his roles with the Tigers.
Muhammad-Lankford played four years (2009-2012) at Wyoming. He was the Cowboys leading rusher before suffering a season-ending injury in 2011. A year later, he led Wyoming with 106 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and four fumble recoveries as a linebacker his senior season. Muhammad-Lankford's coaching journey began at his alma mater where he played the role of graduate assistant and assisted with the Cowboys' running backs in 2013.
A 2013 graduate of Wyoming with a degree in communications, Muhammad-Lankford and his wife, Taryn, have two children, Eliyaas and Mila.
