The Roanoke College football team announced in late June 2025 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.
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.
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.
