The Roanoke College football team has announced the hiring of Dere’ Hicks as the secondary coach/assistant recruiting coordinator on head coach Bryan Stinespring’s staff.
Hicks, a Roanoke, Va. native and William Fleming High School graduate returns home after serving as the assistant secondary coach/safeties coach at Division I VMI last year.
“I am truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to coach under coach Stinespring as we begin Roanoke College’s first full football season since 1942,” said Hicks. “This moment is especially meaningful to me, as it brings me back home to the place where I grew up. I want to thank President Shushok, Athletic Director Curtis Campbell, and the leadership at Roanoke College for making a visionary decision in appointing Coach Stinespring to lead this historic program. His name carries tremendous weight in the world of college football throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, and his record of excellence speaks for itself. I am committed to helping him expand his legacy and continue shaping the future of football at Roanoke College.”
Hicks has vast collegiate coaching experience, including Morehead State (Defensive Backs Coach, June 2023-March 2024) and Mississippi Valley State (Cornerbacks Coach, June 2022-May 2023). His secondary at Morehead led the country in interceptions and both defensive backs led the country in INTs with six, with one garnering All-American honors. He also served at Savannah State and the Virginia University of Lynchburg, the Maroons’ opening week opponent this fall in their historic first season of varsity football since 1942.
“We are thrilled to have Dere’ Hicks on our staff,” said coach Stinespring. “He was a terrific player and has done the things to make him a tremendous coach. Dere’ has a great demeanor and will be a valuable asset in recruiting.”
Hicks threw for over 2,000 yards as a quarterback at William Fleming High School and later attended Valley Forge Military Academy to prepare for Division I football. He started 39 of 45 games at the University of Illinois in the secondary and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. Hicks posted 143 tackles, 19 passes defended, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He majored in speech communication and graduated in 2010.
Hicks played professionally in the Arena Football League for the Arizona Rattlers, Pittsburgh Power, Tampa Storm and the Portland Steel. Dere’ has three children, Anaiah, Caleb and Christian Hicks.
Tickets for the 2025 football season are now on sale. This is the first season of varsity football for the College since 1942, when it was forced to disband the program because of the constraints of World War II.
Tickets will be sold for $10 individually or $40 for all five home games if purchased online in advance. Tickets purchased at the gate on game day will be $15.
