University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Defensive Coordinator
Ron Roberts is in his second season as the Defensive Coordinator for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football program.
In year one of Roberts’ defense, Louisiana saw four players earn All-Conference recognition, including Jacques Bourdreaux and Zi’Yon Hill, who each snagged Third Team All-Conference honors. Bourdreaux was the team’s defensive general from the linebacker position, tallying a team-best 93 tackles, 5.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks in 14 games started. Hill finished the year with 44 tackles and 1.0 sack in 13 games on the defensive line.
Bennie Higgins and Justin Middleton were also recognized by the Sun Belt with Honorable Mention honors.
As a unit under Roberts, the Ragin’ Cajuns improved its tackle total from a season ago from 884 to 1,010 and its sack total from 20.0 to 26.0. The team also saw six players record at least 50 tackles or more on the season, compared to just five in 2017.
Prior to joining Louisiana, he served as the head coach as Southeastern Louisiana. During his time at the helm of the SLU football program, Roberts led the Lions to two conference championships with a 42-29 overall record and a 35-14 Southland Conference mark. In 2017, Southeastern Louisiana ranked fourth in the Southland Conference in scoring and total defense as the squad finished the year with a 6-5 record.
In 2016, the Lions won six of their last seven games to finish 7-4 overall and 7-2 in league play. Southeastern placed 14 student-athletes on the All-Southland Conference teams.
The Lions repeated as Southland Conference champions in 2014, sharing the regular season title with Sam Houston State, who defeated SLU in the first round of the playoffs, following that season the Lions placed 16 players on the 2014 All-Southland Conference teams.
Under Roberts, the 2013 Lions won their first-ever Southland Conference championship and their first league title of any kind since 1961. Southeastern finished with an 11-3 overall record and 7-0 mark in league play, earning its first-ever FCS playoff berth and the No. 4 national seed. The single-season school record victory total propelled the Lions to a No. 6 ranking in the final FCS Coaches and Sports Network polls. The 2013 squad had a school record 24 All-Southland Conference players.
In his inaugural season in Hammond, Roberts guided Southeastern to a 5-6 record, which equaled the combined wins by the Lions in 2010-11. SLU’s 5-2 record in Southland Conference action in 2012 marked the most wins in conference play since 1978 when former coach Billy Brewer guided the Lions to a 5-1-1 mark in the Division II Gulf South Conference.
Prior to SLU, Roberts spent five season at the helm of Division II Delta State University.
At DSU, Roberts led the Statesmen to a 47-16 record, four 10-win seasons and two NCAA Super Region II titles that included an appearance in the 2010 NCAA Division II national championship game and the 2011 semifinals.
A native of Visalia, Calif., Roberts led DSU to an 11-3 record in 2011. The Statesmen led the GSC and finished 12th nationally with 463.7 yards per game while ranking 21st nationally in passing offense (282.7). DSU, which was ranked No. 1 nationally in the Division II polls for much of the season, paced the GSC in seven categories including total offense, scoring offense (33.4), total defense (336.6) and rushing defense (134.1).
In 2010, the Statesmen averaged 31.9 points and 452.9 yards of total offense per game. That combination propelled the Statesmen to an 11-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in GSC play; giving the Statesmen a share of the GSC title for the third time in four years.
Roberts spent two seasons as defensive coordinator at DSU under former coach Rick Rhoades before becoming the school’s 17th head coach in 2007.
The successes of 2007 continued into 2008, where the Statesmen finished the season ranked second in the GSC (471.9 ypg) and sixth nationally.
Prior to joining the DSU staff, Roberts served one season as head coach at Mount Whitney (Calif.) HS, and the 2003 season as defensive coordinator at Texas State.
Before his appointment at Texas State, Roberts spent five seasons as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Tusculum College.
Prior to joining the Tusculum staff, Roberts served as an assistant coach at Greensboro College in 1998 and was head coach at Burroughs High School (1994-96) in California.
Roberts is married to the former Didi Walker of Germantown, Tenn. The couple are the parents of three children; Reed, Reilly, and Ryan.
