Daron Roberts
Defensive Backs Coach, West Virginia Mountaineers
Daron Roberts was hired as the Inside Wide Receivers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator at West Virginia University on March 28, 2011.
Prior to joining WVU, Daron worked as the assistant secondary coach for the Detroit Lions from 2009-2010. In Detroit, working alongside head coach Jim Schwartz and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, Daron led the practice and pregame defensive back drills, focusing on man-to-man coverage, plant-and-drive, jam re-routes and zone-drop techniques. He also installed the zone, man-to-man, nickel and blitz packages for the defensive backs. Daron administrated blitz and coverage walk-thru sessions and supervised the opponent scout team for the Lions. He was also responsible for evaluating the weaknesses/strengths of free agent and draft eligible players, assisting with the in-house workouts of potential signees and administering defensive back workouts during college pro days.
Prior to working in Detroit, Daron was the defensive quality control assistant coach for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008, and the special teams/defensive volunteer coaching assistant in 2007. During the 2008 season in Kansas City, working alongside head coach Herm Edwards and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, Roberts produced weekly scouting reports that contained personnel breakdown and formation tendencies, down/distance tendencies and play diagrams with detailed blocking schemes and route combinations. He tutored rookie defensive backs, created team/player specific video cutups for head coach, ran weekly self-scout breakdowns to isolate Chiefs’ defensive call tendencies and success versus run/pass. Daron assisted the secondary coach with film breakdown and served as the sideline signal-caller during team practices and games. In 2007, Roberts set up special team drills for practices, led kickoff and punt drills, focusing on lane integrity and get-off techniques and spearheaded post-practice drills for kickoff and punt returners. He also assisted with the daily player grading and evaluation and produced weekly opponent scouting reports on kicking phase tendencies for the special teams’ coordinator.
Daron has a decorated background off the football field as well. In 2011, he was named the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award by UT Alumni Association. Daron has worked for four law firms, serving as an associate, governmental affairs committee staffer for Senator Joseph Lieberman, and as an assistant to the chief counsel for Texas Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff. Notably, in 2000-01, Daron was elected President of the University of Texas Student Body.
In 2010, Roberts founded 4th and 1, LLC - a nonprofit that provides free SAT prep, football skills training and life skills development to high school students in Texas and Michigan. The first 4th and 1 Football Camp was offered at Northeast Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant, Texas. A select group of 35 student-athletes were chosen from four East Texas counties as attendees for the first camp. Former Longhorn stars, Derrick Johnson and Ahmad Brooks have visited the camp. 4th and 1 held camps were held at Michigan State University and in Mount Pleasant, Texas in 2011.
Daron was born in Mt. Pleasant, Texas on November 29, 1978. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in 2001, his master’s degree from Harvard University in 2004, and his juris doctorate from Harvard University in 2007. Daron and his wife, Hilary, have one son, Dylan, and they currently reside in Morgantown, WV.