Scott Lewis, one of the most accomplished defensive players in program history, returned to Saint Francis in January 2021 as the Red Flash defensive coordinator. He was named to the Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame on July 29, 2022.
In 2023, the Red Flash defense finished third in the NEC with 354.4 total yards of offense against, 168.7 rushing yards against and finished fourth with 26.4 points against and 185.7 passing yards against. The unit finished 12th in the FCS in red zone defense (72.2 percent).
Linebacker Carter Glassmyer finished 28th in the FCS with an NEC-leading 9.0 total tackles per game. He led FCS freshmen in total tackles per game. Defensive back Pierre Royster and linebacker Mercury Swaim finished tied for second with two forced fumbles each and defensive back Blye Hill finished fourth with eight passes defended. Defensive lineman Eddie Bierals and and linebacker Kesean Dyson finished tied for seventh in the NEC with three sacks each.
Glassmyer was named a Stats Perform FCS Freshman All-American and a Jerry Rice Award Finalist. He was also named ECAC and NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Glassmyer and Bierals were named First Team All-NEC and linebacker William Middleton was named Second Team All-NEC.
During his second season in 2022, Lewis guided a defense that ranked ninth in the FCS in passing yards allowed per game (177), 18th in total yards allowed per game (333), 19th in red zone defense (75 percent) and 20th in points against (21.5).
Under his guidance, Donnell Brown became the seventh Stats Perform FCS All-America selection in program history with his Third Team honor. He also earned the first NEC Defensive Player of the Year in Saint Francis program history and was a HERO Sports Sophomore All-American. The defense earned six total All-NEC selections, four First Team and two Second Team, during the 2022 season.
Brown recorded 14.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks despite seeing double teams all season. Gregory Reddick ranked second in the NEC with 8.6 tackles per game, while Willie O'Hara was second with 77 total tackles. Sebastian Benjamin tied a single-game program record with four sacks against Akron on Sept. 1.
In his first season as defensive coordinator, Lewis guided a Red Flash defense that ranked top-four in the NEC in points per game against (19.1), rushing yards per game against (146.4) and passing yards per game against (182.3). Gregory Reddick was named HERO Sports Freshman All-America and NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021.
Under Lewis' assistance, the 2022 Red Flash defense had two All-NEC selections. Defensive back Martin Foray, Jr. was a First Team selection and defensive lineman Donnell Brown was named to the Second Team.
Lewis spent the last four seasons at Nebraska-Kearney as the Lopers’ defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. With the defense under his direction, Lewis helped the Lopers improve from 37 points per game allowed the year before his arrival to an average of 24 per contest in his final two full seasons. Nebraska-Kearney was undefeated in an abbreviated fall 2020 campaign after Lewis helped increase the program’s win total in each of his three full seasons on the staff.
Prior to his time in Kearney, Lewis helped improve the Eastern New Mexico defense in his second stint in Portales. Lewis’ defensive unit in his two seasons as defensive coordinator recorded 47 turnovers and 56 sacks and ranked 15th nationally against the rush. In his final season at ENMU, the ‘Hounds posted their best scoring defense in a decade.
Lewis returns to an alma mater at which he etched his name throughout the program and national record books. His 524 career tackles rank fifth in FCS history, while his 12.2 tackles per game place him third all-time. Lewis ranked in the top 12 nationally in tackles in each of his four seasons in Loretto and was a four-time All-NEC pick, 2007 NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year, and a two-time All-America selection.
The native of South Fork and Bishop McCort grad will begin his second stint on Villarrial’s staff in 2021. Lewis served as the Red Flash’s special teams coordinator and linebackers coach for the 2014 season before accepting the defensive coordinator positions at Eastern New Mexico and Nebraska-Kearney.
Lewis is a 2011 graduate of Saint Francis with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He holds a Masters in Physical Education from Eastern New Mexico.
