Leilani Smikle enters her ninth season working with the women’s basketball program. She is responsible for the day-to-day equipment operations of the team, which includes distributing practice gear, game uniforms and equipment for student-athletes and staff.
A native of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Smikle joined the Scarlet Knights football program in 2006 as a recruiting assistant, aiding in all aspects of the recruiting process. Her responsibilities included coordinating official visits and maintaining the recruiting database. She also managed a staff of recruiting assistants.
Smikle began her collegiate studies at Rutgers in 2000 before completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Houston with a B.S. in sports administration in 2006. She went on to earn her Masters in School Counseling from Rutgers Graduate School of Education.
While an undergraduate at Rutgers, Smikle served as a football student equipment manager. She moved to an administrative assistant role in 2003-04 and was appointed to assistant equipment manager for the 2004-05 season.
Married to Antonio Smikle, a former football assistant coach at Hofstra University. The couple have four sons, Antonio, Jr., Jordan, CJ and Peyton.
