Former national champion EMCC Lion Austin Roberts joins Buddy Stephens’ football coaching staff

SCOOBA – Austin Roberts, a Georgia native and former teammate of first-year EMCC defensive coordinator Justin Lucas on the Lions' 2013 national championship team, has been named as an assistant coach on Buddy Stephens' football coaching staff at East Mississippi Community College.

"Austin played for us on the same 2013 national championship team as (new EMCC defensive coordinator) Justin (Lucas), so there is a familiarity there with our program's standards and expectations," Stephens said. "Austin is an up-and-coming defensive line coach who achieved success within the Kansas community college coaching ranks, and now we're extremely excited to have him back with the Lions."

Having spent this past season at the University of Arkansas at Monticello serving as the Boll Weevils' defensive line coach along with having strength and conditioning coaching responsibilities, Roberts previously spent four successful seasons coaching within the talent-laden Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference ranks. Prior to earning NCAA Division II coaching experience a year ago at UAM, he coached defensive ends at Butler Community College during the 2024 season. Featuring first-team NJCAA All-America defensive tackle Seven Cloud, the Grizzlies claimed a share of the KJCCC regular-season title with a 5-1 league mark and ranked 12^th nationally in the final NJCAA poll.

"I'm extremely excited to join Coach Buddy Stephens' staff and for this special opportunity to coach alongside him and my former teammate (new EMCC defensive coordinator Justin Lucas) while being a part of the championship standard here at EMCC," Roberts said. "I'm ready to work and compete for championships while also developing our guys on and off the field in helping them reach the next level."

Roberts began his coaching career with a two-year stop at Highland Community College, where he initially worked with the team's linebackers in 2018. Headlining Roberts' rookie coaching season was Reco Hannah earning NJCAA All-America recognition prior to playing at the University of New Mexico. Roberts made the switch to coaching defensive ends the following year at HCC and helped lead the Scotties to a second straight 6-4 overall record and repeat top 20 final national ranking.

Roberts' second coaching stop was a one-year stint as the defensive line coach at Coffeyville Community College, where the 2021 Red Ravens went 6-1 in conference play and earned the No. 1 seed in the KJCCC playoffs before participating in postseason bowl action.

A native of Warner Robins, Ga., Roberts initially teamed with Lucas and current NFL veteran defensive linemen D.J. Jones and Jarran Reed to form one of the most dominant defensive units in EMCC's football history during the Lions' first of back-to-back undefeated national championship seasons. As an EMCC freshman in 2013, Roberts was credited with 22 total tackles, including 2.5 quarterback sacks, as part of the Lions' vaunted defensive squad that allowed an average of less than four points per game with five shutouts during nine regular-season contests.

Roberts spent the next three years playing collegiately within the state of Oklahoma. After recording 40 total tackles with four quarterback sacks as a sophomore at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in 2014, he transferred to the University of Oklahoma to finish his collegiate playing career. As a 10-game OU starter during his senior season in 2016, Roberts was credited with 40 total tackles along with 1.5 sacks and a pair of pass breakups in helping lead the 11-2 Sooners to a second straight Big 12 championship followed by a Sugar Bowl victory.

Roberts earned his bachelor's degree in African cultural relations from the University of Oklahoma. Following his OU playing career, he served as a student assistant defensive line coach during the Sooners' 2018 spring semester.

Roberts capped a standout prep career at Northside High School in Warner Robins by earning Region 2-AAAAA Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior for the Eagles. He was also tabbed Class AAAAA All-State First Team by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) in 2012 as well as by the Associated Press and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper.