Ron Roberts enters his second season with Florida after joining the team in January, 2024 as the Gators’ executive head coach, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In 2025, Roberts will serve as executive head coach and defensive coordinator.
In 2024, Roberts helped guide Florida to a late-season charge, winning the last four games of the season to finish with an 8-5 record overall, with victories over No. 21 LSU, No. 9 Ole Miss, Florida State and Tulane in the 16
th Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. The Gators were one of just unranked six teams in the nation to post multiple top-25 wins on the year.
As a unit, the Florida defense finished the season ranked ninth in the nation in red zone defense (.725), 11
th in sacks per game (3.0), 11
th in fumbles recovered (11) and 13
th in turnovers gained (25). The Gators finished the year with at least one takeaway in 10-straight games and 12 times in 13 games.
The Gator defense improved in nearly every statistical category from 2023 to 2024, including sacks (+17), tackles for loss (+28), forced fumbles (+11), pass breakups (+12), interceptions (+11) and turnovers gained (+18).
Individually, linebacker Myles Graham earned Freshman All-SEC honors after finishing the year 30 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble. Shemar James finished second on the team with 64 tackles, while also tallying four tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
A coaching veteran of more than 30 years, Roberts arrived from Auburn where he was the defensive coordinator in 2023. In his lone season, the Tigers' defense saw improvements and were top in the country and SEC in multiple categories.
Roberts guided Auburn to top-50 in scoring defense, sacks, tackles-for-loss and total defense. The Tigers also ranked top-25 in third-down defense and first-downs allowed while ranking No. 1 in the SEC in red zone defense. In the conference, Auburn was second in third-down defense, third in pass defense and fourth in interceptions.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Roberts’ defense was graded the Tigers a top-25 team in pass coverage (17th), total defense (18th), rushing defense (19th) and tackling (24th).
Before his season at Auburn, Roberts spent three years (2020-22) at Baylor as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers’ coach. He helped the Bears capture the program’s third-ever Big 12 Title and first BCS/New Year’s Six bowl victory in the modern era.
In 2021, the defense was one of the nation’s top units as they were one of three to limit every opponent to 30 points or fewer. Baylor led the conference in interceptions (19), turnovers gained (27), turnover margin (0.93) and defensive touchdowns (3). Additionally, the Bears were second in the Big 12 run defense (118.4 ypg), scoring defense (18.3 PPG), pass efficiency defense (121.54) and sacks per game (3.14).
En route to the conference title, BU held Oklahoma to its lowest scoring (14) and yardage (260) marks in five years under Lincoln Riley. Baylor became the first Big 12 team to hold OU without a passing TD since Nov. 22, 2014, which snapped a 65-game streak for the Sooners.
Roberts’ defense also helped capture the 2022 Sugar Bowl while limiting Ole Miss to seven points, an offense that averaged 28.9 points per game. The Bears had 10 sacks that game, setting a Sugar Bowl record as was Al Walcott's 96-yard interception return for a touchdown.
In his first season in Waco, the defensive unit finished second in the conference in pass defense (203.0 ypg), interceptions (12) and third in turnovers forced (17).
Prior his stint at Baylor, Roberts was the defensive coordinator under head coach Billy Napier at Louisiana from 2018-19. In his two seasons, Roberts had nine defenders earn all-Sun Belt honors and helped the program reach two consecutive conference championship appearances and a school-record 11 victories in 2019.
Under Roberts’ leadership in 2019, the Ragin’ Cajuns led the Sun Belt Conference and ranked 9th nationally in red zone defense (72.1%), 18th in scoring defense (19.7 ppg) and 21st in passing defense (151.9 ypg). UL also was second in the conference in total defense (371.8 ypg).
Before working with Napier for the first time, Roberts was the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana from 2012-17. He led the Lions to two conference championships, back-to-back FCS playoff berths and had an overall record of 42-29 and a 35-14 mark in the Southland Conference.
The Lions won back-to-back conference titles in 2013 and 2014. SLU’s victory in 2013, marked the program’s first league title of any kind since 1961. That season the program earned its first-ever FCS playoff berth and was the No. 4 national seed. Southeastern finished 11-3 and 7-0 in league play and concluded the season ranked No. 6. The 2013 team had a school record 24 all-Southland selections.
Prior to SLU, Roberts spent seven seasons (2005-11) at Delta State where he started as the defensive coordinator for the first two seasons before being hired as the head coach in 2007. He led the Statesman to four playoff appearances, a 47-16 record, four 10-win seasons and two regional titles en route to an appearance in the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship game and 2011 semifinals.
In his final season at Delta State, the Statesmen finished 11-3 and were ranked No. 1 nationally the majority of the season. DSU led the Gulf South Conference in passing offense, scoring offense, total defense, total offense and rushing defense. The offense was 12th nationally in total offense (463.7 ypg) and passing offense (282.7 ypg).
In 2010, DSU went 11-4 and 6-2 in GSC play earning a share of the conference title for the third time in four years.
A native of Visalia, California, Roberts served on season as the head coach at Mount Whitney (Calif.) High School 2004 after being the defensive coordinator at Texas State the year prior.
From 1998-2002, he was an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Tusculum College. Roberts arrived from Greensboro College where he was an assistant in 1997 after being the head coach at Burroughs (Calif.) High School from 1994-96. He began in his coaching career in 1990 at Houston High School (Tenn.) where he spent four years as the school’s defensive coordinator.
Roberts played linebacker in at UT Martin and graduated in 1990. He then received his master's degree from the University of Memphis in 1992. He is married to the former Didi Walker of Germantown, Tennessee. The couple are the parents of three children, Reed, Reilly, and Ryan.
| RON ROBERTS COACHING HISTORY |
| Year |
School, Position |
| 2024 |
Florida, Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach |
| 2023 |
Auburn, Defensive Coordinator |
| 2020-22 |
Baylor, Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach |
| 2018-19 |
Louisiana, Defensive Coordinator |
| 2012-17 |
Southeastern Louisiana, Head Coach |
| 2007-11 |
Delta State, Head Coach |
| 2005-06 |
Delta State, Defensive Coordinator |
| 2004 |
Mount Whitney High School, Head Coach |
| 2003 |
Texas State, Defensive Coordinator |
| 1998-02 |
Tusculum, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator |
| 1997 |
Greensboro, Assistant Coach |
| 1994-96 |
Burroughs High School, Head Coach |
| 1990-93 |
Houston High School, Defensive Coordinator |
| NFL PLAYERS COACHED BY RON ROBERTS |
| Name |
Team |
Round |
Pos. |
College |
Year |
| Cam Jackson |
Carolina Panthers |
Round 5 |
DT |
Florida |
2025 |
| Jason Marshall Jr. |
Miami Dolphins |
Round 5 |
CB |
Florida |
2025 |
| Shemar James |
Dallas Cowboys |
Round 5 |
LB |
Florida |
2025 |
| Trikweze Bridges |
Los Angeles Chargers |
Round 7 |
S |
Florida |
2025 |
| Jalen Pitre |
Houston Texans |
Round 2 |
S |
Baylor |
2022 |
| Robert Alford |
Atlanta Falcons |
Round 2 |
CB |
Southeastern Louisiana |
2013 |
| Siaki Ika |
Cleveland Browns |
Round 3 |
DT |
Baylor |
2023 |
| Terrel Bernard |
Buffalo Bills |
Round 3 |
ILB |
Baylor |
2022 |
| JT Woods |
Los Angeles Chargers |
Round 3 |
S |
Baylor |
2022 |
| Percy Butler |
Washington Commanders |
Round 4 |
S |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
2022 |
| Harlan Miller |
Arizona Cardinals |
Round 6 |
CB |
Southern Louisiana |
2016 |
| Kalon Barnes |
Carolina Panthers |
Round 7 |
CB |
Baylor |
2022 |
| Will Bradley-King |
Washington Commanders |
Round 7 |
DE |
Baylor |
2021 |
