University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Assistant Football Coach/Assistant OL
D.J. Looney is in his third season with the Louisiana football program and will serve as an offensive line coach.
Looney played a key role in the development of Louisiana’s offense line that featured two NFL Draft picks in Robert Hunt and Kevin Dotson. Hunt became the third-highest draft pick in team history when he was selected 39th overall by the Miami Dolphins, while Dotson, who was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Focus and a Second Team All-American by Sporting News, was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 135th pick.
In 2019, Looney helped mentor O’Cyrus Torrence, who started in 13 of the team’s 14 games in 2019 before being named to the Football Writers Association of America-Shaun Alexander Freshman All-America Team.
The offensive line was recognized for their outstanding play line throughout the year by being named Joe Moore Award Honorable Mention performers.
Under Looney, the 2018 offensive line saw five players start all 14 games, including Dotson and Hunt. The group helped pave the way for the Ragin’ Cajuns’ three-headed running back machine that each rushed for 700+ yards and combined for 28 touchdowns.
Looney spent the 2017 season as a tight ends coach at his alma mater Mississippi State. This past season, the Bulldogs posted a 9-4 record including a win at the Taxslayer Bowl.
Prior to MSU, Looney spent the 2016 season serving as an offensive graduate assistant at Georgia on Kirby Smart’s squad that reached the Liberty Bowl.
Looney held the position of tackles and tight ends coach at Central Arkansas for two seasons from 2014-15. The Bears went 7-2 in 2015 in the Southland Conference, finishing tied for second in the league.
Looney was the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at East Mississippi Community College where his team won a national championship in his second and final season in 2013. He spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons in that role. The Birmingham, Ala., native played a key role in helping guide the Lions’ potent offensive unit to a No. 8 NJCAA team statistical national ranking in rushing offense in 2012 (239.1 ypg) and No. 8 in 2013 (253.5 ypg).
He developed current Jacksonville Jaguar Avery Gennesy into an NJCAA first-team All-American in 2013. That year, EMCC put up a nation-leading 62.2 points per game, which included 45 rushing scores.
Looney got his coaching start as an offensive graduate assistant on Dan Mullen’s staff in 2011 that won the Music City Bowl. The former three-year Bulldog letterman worked with the Bulldogs’ offensive linemen and quarterbacks in addition to assisting with MSU’s special teams.
During his undergraduate days at MSU, Looney was associated with two bowl-game winning teams as an offensive lineman. As a redshirt freshman, the 2007 Bulldogs claimed a 10-3 Liberty Bowl victory over UCF. He was on Mullen’s 2010 State squad that earned a 52-14 Gator Bowl triumph over Michigan.
Looney was just as active off the field as a collegian, serving three years as an SEC Student Advisory Council Representative. After serving as vice president of MSU’s Campus Student Advisory Council in 2008, he was elevated to the president’s position the following year. Looney was also a three-year member of the NCAA Football Issues Committee.
Looney earned his degree from Mississippi State in arts and sciences in 2010.
