AUBURN, Ala. – A college head coach for 11 seasons, Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts knows firsthand the value of loyal lieutenants.
“There are things you want to keep off the head coach’s desk,” Roberts said. “He’s got a lot of his own things to be concerned with. If anything, you’re trying to make his job easier.”
Roberts’ teams at Delta State and Southeastern Louisiana won six conference championships in 11 seasons from 2007-17.
“The value of having head coaching experience means you understand that when things happen, you [assistant coaches] may not know all the reasons why,” said Roberts, the Gulf South Coach of the Year at Delta State in 2007 and 2008. “He does, so just listen and do your job.”
Roberts came to the Plains in December, joining Hugh Freeze’s first Auburn staff after three seasons coordinating the defense at Baylor.
In his fourth decade of coaching football, the former Tennessee-Martin linebacker started as a high school coach in Tennessee and California in the early 1990s and earned his head coaching opportunity after serving as a defensive coordinator at four college programs.
“I knew by the time I was 10 or 12 I wanted to be a football coach,” Roberts said. “I love the game and I wanted to be part of it.
“My high school and college coaches made an impact on my life. I started out as a high school coach because I wanted to impact young men and be a positive influence on their lives.
“I love it. The interaction with the players on a day-to-day basis. It’s always something different, it’s always something new. That keeps you young. It’s never the same thing year to year. The game changes year to year. It’s an ever-evolving process.”
In the era of tempo offenses and run-pass options, Roberts seeks to stay one step ahead of each innovation, while relying on the things that have won football games since the days of leather helmets.
“You’re still going to win on fundamentals and techniques,” Roberts said. “It’s still big. No matter what you do it out of, it’s going to come down to fundamentals, techniques and effort you play the game with.
“No matter what you do and how complicated the schemes get, and things you have to evolve to, you can’t get away from those basic foundations that are going to allow you to win.”
When Auburn fans fill Jordan-Hare Stadium this season, beginning with Kickoff on The Plains Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m. CT vs. Massachusetts, Roberts wants them to witness the Tigers’ effort and enthusiasm.
“No. 1, I want them to see when they turn the film on or people come watch us play, that they can see the passion we have for the game in the way we play it,” he said. “That needs to be evident, and it needs to stick out.”
While focusing on the 2023 season, Roberts and his fellow assistant coaches are constantly recruiting prospective student-athletes who will arrive in 2024 and beyond, preparing players for success in every area of their lives.
“It goes back to Coach Freeze. We’re going to do it in a family atmosphere,” Roberts said. “You’ve got to do your job in a way that they know you care about them and you’re looking out for their best interest.”
The parents of three adult children, Ron and Didi Roberts are now centrally located between their oldest son, Reed, the assistant strength coach at Georgia State, daughter Reilly, a nurse in Louisiana, and youngest son, Ryan, a quarterback at McNeese State in Louisiana.
“Great community, great place for recruiting. It’s a great town and my wife and I love it,” he said. “The people have been outstanding and that’s always what’s going to make a place. It’s not really the environment, it’s the people and the culture.”
