Bio

RECRUITING AREAS: Rhode Island, Massachusetts

Scott Lakatos begins his fifth season with Bryant Football in 2023. He will serve as the defensive analyst. Lakatos has coached in 10 FBS Bowl games and 14 of his former players have landed in the National Football League.

In 2022, Bryant's secondary was led by Jayvis Rayside and Lake Ellis. Rayside posted 49 tackles, while Ellis had 44 stops and two interceptions.

In the fall of 2021, Lakatos helped the Black and Gold lead the NEC with 11 interceptions on their way to a 7-4 overall record and a 5-2 mark in NEC play. Ricardo Martinez was named to the Phil Steele All-NEC team. 

Bryant's defensive secondary shined under Lakatos in 2021, ranking second nationally in passing yards allowed (109.5). Lakatos also saw Andre Brackett earn All-NEC First Team honors. 

Lakatos' first season was a success as the Bulldogs finished 15th nationally in passing yards allowed (175.9) and passing efficiency defense (116.08). Andre Brackett shined under Lakatos, posting 56 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, a forced fumble, three interceptions and six pass breakups. 

Lakatos most recently worked at Towson but also has spent two seasons on the staff at Monmouth, four at the University of Georgia and seven at the University of Connecticut. His units have ranked inside the top 25 nationally in passing defense and passing efficiency defense seven times during his coaching career.

Prior to coming to Bryant, Lakatos spent the 2018 season on the staff at Towson, helping the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament. The secondary allowed just over 200 passing yards per game and posted eight interceptions on the year.

Lakatos spent the 2017 season at Red Bank Regional High School after two seasons on the coaching staff at Monmouth. With the Hawks, Lakatos mentored Mike Basile who went on to become one of the best defensive players in Monmouth history, finishing his career with 433 tackles.

Lakatos worked as a defensive consultant at Virginia Tech in 2014 following a four-year stint at Georgia. He helped the Bulldogs to a pair of Southeastern Conference East Division titles in his four seasons in Athens. In 2011, Lakatos coached All-American safety Bacarri Rambo and Paul Hornung Award winner Brandon Boykin as Georgia boasted a top-10 defense nationally. Georgia’s pass defense ranked second in the SEC in 2012 with three members of that unit going on to play in the NFL.

Lakatos came to Georgia after seven seasons at UConn, where the Huskies ranked top-10 in passing defense on two occasions. Five of the seasons he was in Storrs, the Huskies ranked in the top-25 nationally in either pass defense or passing efficiency defense. Lakatos mentored five players at UConn that would go on to play in the NFL, including Tevrin Brandon who is currently with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He also coached UConn in four bowl games, culminating in a win over South Carolina in the 2009 PapaJohns.com Bowl.

The New Jersey native spent three seasons as the secondary coach at Rutgers before heading to then BIG EAST rival UConn. In 2003, Rutgers ranked second in the BIG EAST in passing defense, yielding 216.42 yards per game, a total surpassed in the conference only by national-leader Miami.

No stranger to the FCS level of competition, Lakatos spent the 1995-2000 seasons at Maine under Jack Cosgrove, serving first as secondary coach for the 1995 season before adding the title of special teams coordinator for the 1996-99 campaigns. In 2000, Lakatos was named the Black Bears' defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. A Maine defensive back earned All-Conference honors in each of his five years coaching that position group and, in 1998, Aaron Dashiell was named an All-American after he finished 11th in the nation in interceptions. Dashiell was a Bryant employee for 14 years, serving as the director of undergraduate advising for six years before moving to Holy Cross.

Lakatos graduated from Western Connecticut in 1988 after earning four varsity letters on the gridiron, under the tutelage of former Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni. The 1985 Colonial squad went 10-2 and advanced to the NCAA Division III Playoffs. Immediately after earning his degree in Justice & Law Administration from WCSU, Lakatos began his coaching career at the Danbury school, working with the Colonials' defensive backs during the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

A native of Long Valley, N.J., Lakatos graduated from West Morris Central High School in 1983 where he played both linebacker and fullback, earning All-County honors on defense. 

He and his wife, Amanda, have a daughter, Sarah Bailey and a son, Cole.