Ron Roberts leaving Southeastern for job at UL Lafayette

Ron Roberts, who guided Southeastern Louisiana University’s football program to new heights in six seasons, is leaving Hammond to head 100 miles west to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he will serve as the Ragin’ Cajuns’ defensive coordinator.

Though neither school has made an announcement as of Friday afternoon, Roberts confirmed his departure on Twitter.

Under Roberts’ guidance, the Lions went 42-29 in six seasons, including a pair of Southland Conference titles and a trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Series playoffs in 2013, when he was the league’s coach of the year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award. Southeastern was 6-5 in 2017.

At Delta State, Roberts led the Statesmen to the 2010 NCAA Division II title game and the 2011 semifinals.

Roberts joins new head coach Billy Napier’s staff in Lafayette.

Napier had hired Karl Scott to be his defensive coordinator, but Scott departed last week for the University of Alabama, where he will serve as linebackers coach. Ironically, Scott was Roberts’ defensive coordinator at Southeastern in 2014 and spent three years on the Lions staff.

SLU ATHLETICS RELEASE:
Roberts Resigns, Southeastern Begins Search for New Head Football Coach

HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana University will immediately begin a national search for a new head football coach, SLU Director of Athletics Jay Artigues announced on Friday.

Ron Roberts, who served as the Lions’ head coach for the past six seasons, has resigned and accepted the defensive coordinator position at UL Lafayette. Offensive coordinator Greg Stevens will serve as the interim head coach during the search process.

“We’re extremely thankful to Coach Roberts for his dedication in taking our football program to unprecedented heights,” Artigues said. “He’s been a tremendous asset to our university and is leaving our program in great shape. We plan on moving swiftly, but thoroughly, in our search for our next head football coach.”

Roberts led the Lions to a 6-5 overall record and a 6-3 Southland Conference mark in 2017. Southeastern posted a 42-29 mark during Roberts’ tenure, which included back-to-back Southland Conference championships and NCAA FCS playoff appearances in the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.

Stevens recently returned to Hammond after spending the past four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois. He was Roberts’ offensive coordinator for his first two seasons in Hammond and his 2013 unit set school records for total offense, scoring offense and rushing offense.

Southeastern will open the 2018 season on Sept. 1 at UL Monroe. Spring practice opens on March 13.