HAMMOND, La. – Former St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Blake Williams has accepted the same position for two-time Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana, Lion head coach Ron Roberts announced on Tuesday.
                         
Williams' hire is pending the approval of the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors. Williams replaces Karl Scott, now the safeties coach at Louisiana Tech.
 
"Blake is going to be a tremendous addition to our staff," Roberts commented. "He brings with him a wealth of experience as a coach at the professional level, as well as playing experience from his time at Princeton. Blake shares the same philosophy that we do, so we expect to be very similar on defense in 2015. But, Blake is going to bring a fresh perspective that is going to be a plus for our program."
 
Williams was brought in as the linebacker coach with the 2012 Rams, before taking over as defensive coordinator for his father, Gregg. Under Williams' tutelage, St. Louis ranked No. 15 in the NFL against both the run and the pass, while also ranking in the top half of the league with 21.8 points per game allowed.
 
Williams' stay in St. Louis was the most recent of four NFL jobs in his career. Prior to going to St. Louis, he was on the New Orleans Saints' staff from 2009-11. Williams was an offensive assistant for the Super Bowl XLIV Champions, working with the offensive line. He spent the next two seasons as a linebackers coach for the Saints.
 
Williams got his coaching start as an intern coach for two seasons for the Washington Redskins. Prior to his time in New Orleans, Williams was an assistant working with the linebackers and as strength and conditioning coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2008. Williams has spent the past two seasons working as a defensive coaching consultant at William Jewell College.
 
A graduate of Princeton, Williams lettered four years for the Tigers. Williams played defensive back and was a special teams standout for the Ivy League member.
 
Williams will be taking over a Lion defense that led the Southland Conference in scoring and total defense a season ago, while also leading the Football Championship Subdivision in pass defense efficiency. While SLU will be replacing several starters on defense in 2015, the cupboard is far from bare for the Lions, especially in the secondary. Two-time All-American cornerback Harlan Miller leads a veteran group that features fellow All-Southland selections Micah Eugene, Denzel Thompson and Jordan Batiste.
 
"We feel great about where we are on defense," Roberts commented. "We have a lot of talent on that side of the ball and several players with aspirations of playing at the next level and Blake has the knowledge to help them not only succeed here, but also realize their future dreams."
 
Williams' new charges will open spring practice on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. The Lions will practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. during the spring, leading up to the 1:00 p.m. March 28 Spring Game.