Updated: April 7, 2025
De’Von Lockett joins the Lions coaching staff as an assistant coach after serving as the Assistant Head Coach working with cornerbacks at Northwestern State for 13 seasons. He enters his third season at UNA in 2025.
In addition to his 13 years at Northwestern State, Lockett has had stops at Franklin Senior High School, Missouri Southern and Bethel University.
At Northwestern State, he was instrumental in leading a defensive back unit that ranked as one of the top units in the Southland Conference. Under his tutelage, at least one member of his defensive backs were All-Southland Conference selections from 2019 - 2022 while having mentored two who went on to become future All-Americans.
Prior to his tenure with the Demons, Lockett was the defensive backs coach in early 2010 at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee, before returning to his alma mater to join the Demons staff in time for spring practice in 2010. 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 from 2005-06 as a graduate assistant, coaching receivers and assisting with special teams. Five of his receivers made all-conference, and as a result, he assisted with coaching receivers in the first-ever NAIA Senior All-Star Game in Platte City, Missouri.
His college coaching career began in Spring 2003 as a student assistant at Northwestern State. From 2003-05, he coached football, basketball and track and field in his first initial stint at his alma mater, Franklin Senior High School. He coached receivers and defensive backs and was the special teams coordinator, on top of acting as the head boys track coach and an assistant basketball coach. He coached a second stint later in 2007-08 and helped lead the track team to the 2008 state indoor and outdoor championships.
Lockett played in the National Indoor Football League in 2003-04 for the 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. He also competed in track and field for Northwestern State
As a junior, 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 went for 22 yards at Central Florida as a sophomore in a hard-fought 19-7 loss.
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 is the son of the late Kenneth Lockett, a legendary track and field coach, and mother Melanie Charles and has five siblings. He is married to ShaLawnda, and they have four sons — Seth, Dayson, Paxton and Titus.
Lockett graduated in psychology from Northwestern State in 2002, then earned a Master’s in Education from Bethel in 2007.
