Travares Tillman, a Georgia Tech alumnus and 1999 football team captain, currently fulfills off-field duties for Georgia Tech football. He served two seasons as the Yellow Jackets’ defensive backs coach.
In his first year back in the White and Gold, Tillman oversaw a unit who helped Tech finish the regular season top 5 in the ACC and top 40 nationally in passes intercepted. Tillman also provided the tutelage of all-ACC defensive backs LaMiles Brooks and Zamari Walton. Brooks led Tech and ranked third in the ACC in interceptions and ranked as the No. 21 safety in the ACC, according to Pro Football Focus. Walton finished in the top-20 of the conference in passes defended and was rated one of the top 120 cornerbacks in the nation by PFF.
Tillman returned to his alma mater after spending the past six seasons under the tutelage of Michigan State head coach and 2021 Big Ten Coach of the Year Mel Tucker. As Michigan State’s cornerbacks coach in 2021, Tillman helped lead the Spartans to a 10-2 regular-season record, including a win over archrival, Big Ten champion and College Football Playoff participant Michigan, a No. 10 national ranking and a berth in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
As a Georgia Tech defensive back from 1996-99, Tillman was a four-year letterwinner, three-year starter, two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and a member of the ACC’s all-academic team. He went on to be selected in the second round of the 2000 National Football League Draft by the Buffalo Bills (No. 58 overall) and spent seven seasons in the NFL with the Bills, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins.
Tillman started his collegiate coaching career under Tucker as a defensive graduate assistant (2016-17) and defensive quality control assistant (2018) at Georgia. He went on to be a member of Tucker’s first three staffs as a head coach, first at Colorado (2019 – defensive backs coach), then at Michigan State (2020 – senior defensive assistant; 2021 – cornerbacks coach).
Tillman and his wife, Kiki, have three children: Atticus, Harper and Saint.
| THE TRAVARES TILLMAN FILE | ||
| PERSONAL | ||
| Hometown | Lyons, Ga. | |
| Family | Wife: Kiki; Children: Atticus, Harper and Saint | |
| Alma Mater | Georgia Tech, 2010 | |
| PLAYING EXPERIENCE (DB) | ||
| 1996-99 | Georgia Tech | |
| 2000-01 | Buffalo Bills | |
| 2003 | Houston Texans | |
| 2003-04 | Carolina Panthers | |
| 2005-07 | Miami Dolphins | |
| COACHING EXPERIENCE | ||
| 2012-15 | Calvary Day School (Savannah, Ga.) | Defensive Backs |
| 2013 | Philadelphia Eagles | Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship |
| 2016-17 | Georgia | Graduate Assistant |
| 2018 | Georgia | Defensive Quality Control |
| 2019 | Colorado | Defensive Backs |
| 2020 | Michigan State | Senior Defensive Assistant |
| 2021 | Michigan State | Cornerbacks |
| 2022 | Georgia Tech | Defensive Backs/Defensive Pass Game Coordinator |
| 2023 | Georgia Tech | Defensive Backs |
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Travares Tillman, a Georgia Tech alumnus and 1999 football team captain, currently fulfills off-field duties for Georgia Tech football. He served two seasons as the Yellow Jackets’ defensive backs coach.
In his first year back in the White and Gold, Tillman oversaw a unit who helped Tech finish the regular season top 5 in the ACC and top 40 nationally in passes intercepted. Tillman also provided the tutelage of all-ACC defensive backs LaMiles Brooks and Zamari Walton. Brooks led Tech and ranked third in the ACC in interceptions and ranked as the No. 21 safety in the ACC, according to Pro Football Focus. Walton finished in the top-20 of the conference in passes defended and was rated one of the top 120 cornerbacks in the nation by PFF.
Tillman returned to his alma mater after spending the past six seasons under the tutelage of Michigan State head coach and 2021 Big Ten Coach of the Year Mel Tucker. As Michigan State’s cornerbacks coach in 2021, Tillman helped lead the Spartans to a 10-2 regular-season record, including a win over archrival, Big Ten champion and College Football Playoff participant Michigan, a No. 10 national ranking and a berth in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
As a Georgia Tech defensive back from 1996-99, Tillman was a four-year letterwinner, three-year starter, two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and a member of the ACC’s all-academic team. His 236 career tackles ranked fourth all-time among Georgia Tech defensive backs at the end of his collegiate career and still rank eighth in school history among DBs. He also had seven interceptions as a Yellow Jacket, including a team-high four as a sophomore in 1997. Tech won 30 games, claimed a share of the 1998 ACC championship and appeared in three bowl games in his four seasons on The Flats.
He went on to be selected in the second round of the 2000 National Football League Draft by the Buffalo Bills (No. 58 overall) and spent seven seasons in the NFL with the Bills, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins. He played in 74 games and made 29 starts over seven NFL seasons, and recorded 180 tackles, four interceptions and 15 passes defended. He played in Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003) as a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Tillman started under Tucker as a defensive graduate assistant (2016-17) and defensive quality control assistant (2018) at Georgia. As a graduate assistant, Tillman worked directly with Tucker in coaching UGA’s safeties, while his quality-control duties included breaking down opponents and compiling weekly scouting reports. Georgia compiled a 32-10 record during Tillman’s three seasons with the Bulldogs, including a trip to the CFP national championship game in 2017, when UGA had the nation’s third-ranked pass defense.
Tillman went on to be a member of Tucker’s first three staffs as a head coach, first at Colorado (2019 – defensive backs coach), then at Michigan State (2020 – senior defensive assistant; 2021 – cornerbacks coach).
He began his coaching career as defensive backs coach at Calvary Day School in Savannah, Ga. for four seasons (2012-15), helping lead the team to a 41-8 record, four state quarterfinal appearances, two state semifinals and a berth in the 2013 Georgia Class A-Private state championship game. He coached eight players that would earn college scholarships during his four seasons at the prep level. He also coached Calvary’s track team for four seasons and served as assistant athletics director during his final two years at the school.
In 2013, Tillman was a recipient of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship and worked with the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive backs during training camp under head coach Chip Kelly.
Before embarking on his coaching career, Tillman returned to Georgia Tech following his seven years in the NFL to complete coursework for his bachelor’s degree in business management, which he earned in 2010.
A Lyons, Ga. native, Tillman graduated from Toombs County H.S., where he was a four-year letterwinner in football and basketball, and lettered twice in golf. He was named Georgia 3-A Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1995.
Tillman and his wife, Kiki, have three children: Atticus, Harper and Saint.
