App State Football announced the hiring of Aashon Larkins as the running backs coach in January 2025.
 
Larkins, whose first name is pronounced uh-SHAWN, has coached and worked on NCAA coaching staffs for the last two decades. That includes recent stints at Michigan (2019-21) and Ole Miss (2022) before two seasons as a secondary coach at Dartmouth in the Ivy League (2023-24).
 
After graduating from Lehigh in 2003 and joining the Philadelphia Eagles as a pro personnel intern, Larkins worked at the FCS level for Holy Cross, Wagner, The Citadel, Jacksonville State and Bethune-Cookman from 2004-2018. He joined Jim Harbaugh's staff at Michigan in 2019, serving as a defensive analyst before becoming a special teams analyst and working with Wolverine safeties during the 2020 season.
 
Larkins was Michigan's director of recruiting during a 2021 season in which the Wolverines made the College Football Playoff and finished 12-2. That year, in the summer of 2021, he also spent time in the Jacksonville Jaguars' scouting department after being a recipient of a Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship.
 
He joined Lane Kiffin's staff at Ole Miss for the 2022 season, serving as a lead analyst who worked with safeties during an 8-5 season for the Rebels.
 
Dartmouth went a combined 10-4 in Ivy League play with Larkins on staff, as the Big Green followed a 6-4 season in 2023 with an 8-2 overall mark in 2024.
 
Larkins coached against App State in the SoCon as an assistant coach at The Citadel from 2006-13, a stretch in which he had two players drafted to the NFL: wide receiver/punt returner Andre Roberts (third round in 2010) and cornerback Cortez Allen (fourth round in 2011). Larkins spent the following season at Jacksonville State, mentoring All-American cornerback Jermaine Hough, before moving on to serve as Bethune-Cookman's recruiting coordinator and special teams coordinator from 2015-18.
 
Larkins was a double major in psychology and sociology at Lehigh. He and his wife, Jackie, have a daughter, Jorden.
 
LARKINS AT A GLANCE
 
2003: Philadelphia Eagles (Pro personnel intern)
2004: Holy Cross (Cornerbacks)
2005: Wagner (Defensive backs/Academic coordinator)
2006-08: The Citadel (Cornerbacks)
2009: The Citadel (Safeties/Special teams coordinator)
2010-13: The Citadel (Linebackers)
2014: Jacksonville State (Special teams coordinator/Cornerbacks)
2015-18: Bethune-Cookman (Special teams coordinator/Recruiting coordinator)
2019: Michigan (Defensive analyst)
2020: Michigan (Special teams analyst/Safeties)
2021: Michigan (Director of recruiting)
2022: Ole Miss (Lead analyst – Safeties)
2023-24: Dartmouth (Secondary)
2025: App State (Offensive recruiting coordinator/Running backs)
 
Alma Mater: Lehigh, 2003
Hometown: Hackensack, N.J.
Wife: Jackie
Daughter: Jorden
Twitter: @CoachALarkins