Demon Elite Football Camps

Defensive Coaching Staff

Mike Lucas
Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers

Mike Lucas and Jay Thomas were coaching adversaries for years in the Southland Conference, but never enemies, and now the mutual admiration society has teamed up to benefit the NSU Demons. Lucas, who has 35 years of collegiate coaching experience including 26 in the Southland, came on board before spring practice as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Lucas, the 2009 All-Louisiana Coach of the Year, was head coach at Southeastern from 2007-11 after two seasons as the Lions’ defensive coordinator. He earned a reputation as a dynamic DC under iconic coach Ron Randleman from 1987-2001 at Sam Houston State. Lucas spent last season as the defensive coordinator at Indiana State and earlier in his career coached at his alma mater, Liberty, along with William and Mary, UTEP, and Eastern New Mexico.

“We’re very fortunate to get a coach the caliber of Mike Lucas. The things he brings to the table are far-reaching,” said Thomas. “He’s been in the Southland Conference for well over 20 seasons, five as a head coach. He’s recruited where we recruit. He was tough to compete against on the field and on the recruiting trail, and he’s a first-class gentleman who will fit well with our staff and in our community. It’s a blessing for us to get this type of coach and man.”

Bringing Lucas in as defensive coordinator and promoting Ben Norton in charge of the offense gives the Demons proven, accomplished veterans who have won championships in the Southland Conference. They coached together at Sam Houston State from 1999-2001.

“It’s unique that by adding Mike Lucas and promoting Ben Norton, we’re actually more experienced than we were with our coordinators last season, and both of those guys who moved east were not wet behind the ears by any means, and were very good for us,” said Thomas.

Lucas was defensive coordinator at Southeastern for two seasons before moving into the head coaching post on an interim basis for the last three games of 2006, and was head coach from 2007-12, recruiting players who contributed to SLU’s 2013 Southland Conference championship.

Under Lucas’ leadership, Southeastern improved its overall record each season from 2006-09 while the Lions, for the first time since their program was restarted in 2003, became highly competitive in the Southland. Southeastern developed a school-record setting offense and a typically tough-to-attack defense guided by Lucas. After missing the final six games of the 2008 season due to a heart valve procedure, Lucas returned to win Louisiana collegiate Coach of the Year honors in 2009.

At Sam Houston State as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach under iconic head coach Ron Randleman, Lucas coached the Bearkats among the top 15 in FCS stat categories 11 times, and led the Southland Conference in defense five times. Among school records set under Lucas: 52 sacks in 2001, fewest points per game (13.2) in 1991.

His SHSU defenses produced 65 All-Southland Conference honors by 41 different players, among them seven who signed NFL contracts and two who were NFL Draft picks.

He was defensive coordinator at Eastern New Mexico where his unit led the Lone Star Conference in total defense and scoring defense, and ranked third nationally in punt returns. In 1984 he was wide receivers coach at UTEP. From 1980-83, he coached the secondary, defensive line and linebackers, and assisted with strength and conditioning, at Liberty. He began coaching as a defensive student assistant in 1979 at William and Mary.

Playing Experience:  A two-year letterman at William and Mary, Lucas was a three-year letterman in football at Pemberton (N.J.) High School, where he also lettered in baseball and wrestling.

Personal:  Age 55, born March 7, 1959. He and his wife Wendy have two adult sons, Tyler, a former quarterback and 2009 graduate of Cornell, and Torin, a former catcher on the Southeastern Louisiana baseball team. He earned a bachelor of science degree in physical education and psychology from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., in 1982.

De'Von Lockett
Cornerbacks

The past two seasons for De’Von Lockett, the longest-tenured Northwestern State assistant coach, have been about restoring the foundation of the Demons’ defensive backfield.

Lockett has spent his sixth and seventh seasons on the NSU staff tutoring Ike Warren, who picked off three passes in six games of an injury-interrupted sophomore season.

The season before, Lockett turned then-freshmen Warren and D’Ronne Littleton from signees into a strong, young starting duo on the outside of the Demons’ defense.

Despite losing an NFL signee (Imoan Claiborne) and a multi-year starter (Fred Thomas) on the corners, Lockett’s 2015 “Bad Boys” secondary helped the Demons allow less than one passing yard per game more than they did in 2014.

Led by Claiborne and emerging playmaker Adam Jones, the Demons snared 15 interceptions in 2014 after grabbing seven the previous season.

Under the tutelage of Lockett, a former standout receiver at Northwestern State, Jones made a seamless transition from linebacker to safety, resulting in Jones intercepting a team-high five passes. Claiborne, meanwhile, accounted for seven turnovers (four interceptions, three fumble recoveries) en route to earning All-American honors from the College Sporting News.

Lockett earned a promotion to secondlariary coach in 2014 after an outstanding job developing an NFL player and Super Bowl champion, Seattle’s Jeremy Lane, and shaping a cornerback stable that measured up as well as any in the FCS ranks.

In his most recent season coaching strictly cornerbacks, Lockett’s 2013 group helped the Demons’ Purple Swarm rank second in the Southland Conference in total defense.

Rejoining his alma mater’s coaching staff in time for the 2010 spring practice, Lockett’s impact was apparent that fall. The corners became a strong unit in the second half of the 2010 season. In 2011, Lockett’s cornerbacks sparkled throughout the season and Lane became the sixth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2012 NFL Draft. The Demons were fourth in the rugged Southland Conference in total defense and led the league in red zone defense.

Lockett was the defensive backs coach in early 2010 at Bethel University before returning to his alma mater to join the Demons staff in time for 2010 spring practice. In the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Lockett was an assistant defensive backs coach and a quality control coach at Missouri Southern, where he also assisted with special teams.

Lockett coached at Bethel in McKenzie, Tenn., from 2005-07 as a graduate assistant, coaching receivers and assisting with special teams. Five of his receivers made all-conference. He assisted with coaching receivers in the first-ever NAIA Senior All-Star Game in Platte City, Mo.

From 2003-05, he coached football, basketball and track and field at his alma mater, Franklin Senior High School. He coached receivers and defensive backs, was special teams coordinator, head boys track coach and an assistant basketball coach.

He returned to FSHS in 2007-08 and helped coach the track team to the 2008 state indoor and outdoor championships. His college coaching career began in spring 2003 as a student assistant at NSU.

Lockett played in the National Indoor Football League in 2003-04 for Houma Bayou Bucks after finishing as a four-year letterman for the Demons from 1999-2002, playing for three different head coaches (Sam Goodwin, Steve Roberts and Scott Stoker).

In his career, Lockett had 55 catches for 881 yards and 3 touchdowns while playing on FCS playoff teams in 2001 and 2002.

As a junior, with future NFL QB Craig Nall setting school passing records, he was third on the team with career-best totals of 31 catches for 463 yards, and had a key 48-yard catch along with a 9-yard TD grab in the Demons’ 27-24 win at TCU. His first collegiate catch was a 22-yarder at Central Florida as a sophomore in a hard-fought 19-7 loss.

He also competed in track and field for NSU. At Franklin Senior High School, he was a first-team All-District receiver and defensive back, and a second-team Coaches All-State defensive back, making 7 interceptions and 7 pass breakups as a senior.

He was also a state meet qualifier in track and field and was his team’s MVP.

Lockett 36, is the son of legendary track and field coach Kenneth Lockett (Kim) and mother Melanie Paul and has four siblings. He is married to ShaLawnda, and they have a 13-year-old son, Seth, who is an active figure around the Demon football program. The Locketts also have two more sons, Dayson (4) and Paxton (2).

Lockett graduated in psychology from NSU in 2002, then earned a master’s in education from Bethel in 2007.