Hugh Freeze has found his defensive coordinator (DC) in former Baylor DC Ron Roberts. Roberts was the coordinator for the past three seasons under head coach Dave Aranda before being dismissed following a disappointing 2022 season.
After news of Auburn targeting Roberts was reported by Brandon Marcello of 247Sports and Justin Hokanson of AuburnLive, Roberts confirmed it with a tweet and by changing his Twitter bio.
This past season, Roberts' unit was outside of the top 50 in most categories, including scoring (No. 67), passing (No. 80) and total yards allowed (No. 60). The Bears were also No. 45 in run defense as well as No. 47 in forcing turnovers.
The 2021 campaign was Roberts' best at Baylor, and his defense was not only one of the best in the Big 12 but one of the toughest units in the country. Led by a No. 10 scoring defense, the group was the No, 17 run defense in the nation and forced 1.9 turnovers per game, the 12th-best in college football. The one weakness for the Bears was their No. 66 ranked passing defense, but the unit helped Aranda get to 12-2 in his second year in Waco.
Roberts came to Baylor in 2020 after a two-year stint as defensive coordinator for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and head coach Billy Napier. The defense was gashed during his first year in Lafayette, giving up 34.2 points per game, which was ranked No. 105 in the nation, but his second year saw a dramatic leap to the No. 18 scoring defense in the 2019 season.
Roberts brings head coaching experience from his time at Delta State and Southeastern Louisiana, going 89-45 in a combined 11 seasons at those schools.
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