Bethune-Cookman University Athletics

Earl Lane is set to enter his ninth season at Bethune-Cookman serving as defensive line coach and junior college recruiting coordinator under third-year head coach Terry Sims. Over the course of his previous six seasons in charge of the defensive line for the Maroon and Gold, Lane has helped make that unit one of the most vaunted in all of FCS (Football Championship Subdivision), not to mention the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
 
Following the 2016 campaign, junior defensive lineman Kevin Thompson would be selected as a third team performer of the All-MEAC Team.
 
In 2015, the Bethune-Cookman defensive line was again one of the most vaunted in the MEAC, as well as the FCS level of competition. The Wildcats captured a share of their fourth consecutive league title, in addition to defeating rival Florida A&M for the fifth consecutive time in the annual Florida Blue Florida Classic.
 
The 2014 edition of the defensive line saw all four starters earn postseason accolades in being named to the All-MEAC First and Third Team, respectively. Defensive end LeBranden Richardson picked up first team honors, while also landing on the BoxToRow All-America Team for the second time in his Wildcats career. Richardson finished the campaign with 41 tackles, tying for fourth on the team in that category, while finishing tied atop the team with 15 tackles for loss and a team-high eight quarterback sacks.
 
Rony Barrow and Erik Williams each landed on the third team all-league team, helping the Wildcats in becoming the nations’ top-ranked defense, allowing just 237.8 yards per game. Other categories in B-CU led or finished near the top of the national charts were as follows: third down conversion defense (.250) – first; first downs defense (160) – second; passing yards allowed (157.58) – seventh; tackles for loss (8.6) – ninth; team pass efficiency defense (107.36) – 12th.
 
During the 2013 campaign, Lane’s defensive line once again assaulted opposing offensive units, picking up a league second-best 29 sacks. Defensive end LeBrandon Richardson finished tied for fifth in the league with 14.5 tackles for loss, and University of Miami transfer Dyron Dye quickly became a force at the other defensive end position, gathering a league 10th-best six quarterback sacks. The Wildcats finished third in the MEAC in scoring defense (sixth nationally), allowing just 17.8 points per game. The Cats picked off 19 passes on the season, placing the team in a tie for fifth nationally in that category, while also sitting atop the league. They would go on to finish second nationally in total defense (255.5 yards/game), eighth nationally in rush defense (106.3 yards/game) and 12th nationally in turnovers gained (28).
 
Against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent FIU, the Wildcats limited the Panthers to just 73 yards rushing (their second-lowest of the season), and just 229 yards of total offense. All the while, earning the school’s first-ever win over an FBS opponent. Weeks later, B-CU limited Delaware State to a season-low 10 yards rushing – the second-lowest output of the season surrendered by the Wildcats defense. Just under a month later, the Wildcats stymied the North Carolina Central rushing offense to negative-1 yards in a nationally-televised game on ESPNU. In fact, B-CU held five consecutive opponents under the century mark in rushing from Oct. 5 (Delaware State) through Nov. 2 (N.C. Central).
 
In all, the Cats surrendered just 10 rushing touchdowns on the year, with four of those coming against eventual BCS national champion Florida State in Tallahassee. Dyron Dye and LeBrandon Richardson each earned All-MEAC Second Team honors following the season.
 
In 2012, Lane was in charge of a defensive front that finished third in the MEAC in rushing defense, allowing just 134.8 yards per game on the ground. That allowed the Cats to finish the season ranked 37h nationally in that department. Bethune-Cookman would go on to finish third in passing defense, allowing just an average of 165.8 yards per game through the air. The unit also produced 22 sacks on the campaign, the second time in as many years the team has collected 20-plus sacks in a season.
 
Additionally, the Wildcats stood as the third-best team in the nation for passes intercepted, bringing down 20 on the campaign. They also improved a spot from 12th in passing defense in 2011, up to 11th in 2012. The Cats’ 20 interceptions also ranked as the most for any team sitting in the top 25 for passing defense overall. In passing efficiency defense, the Wildcats were second in the nation, sitting just .37 behind frontrunner North Carolina A&T. For scoring defense, Bethune-Cookman not only finished second in the MEAC, but also 10th in the nation
 
In capturing their second MEAC crown in three years, the Wildcats defense helped limit the opposition all season long in 2012. As a unit, the Cats finished second in scoring defense in the league, in addition to third in total defense. Since his arrival, the B-CU defense has finished no lower than fourth in the league in those categories.
 
In takeaways, the B-CU defense sat atop the league with +18 in turnover margin. That comes on the heels of the team finishing atop the league in red zone defense. That was up a space from 2011 where they finished the season second in the conference.
 
Lane is a veteran teacher with experience at both the high school and college levels, and a proven ability for developing players and young men, with experience in the Big East and SEC, coming most recently from LSU.
 
In his first season with B-CU, Lane oversaw the progress of 2011 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Davis. Under Lane’s tutelage, Davis demonstrated improved technique, leading him to finish the season ranked seventh in NCAA FCS in tackles for loss (21.5), 10th in sacks (12) and 17 hurries. Davis was named to nine different All-America teams, named College Football Performance Awards’ (CFPA) National FCS Defensive Player of the Year, and later signed as an NFL free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
 
Before coming to Daytona Beach, Lane coached three seasons at LSU, serving as the Tigers' defensive line coach. Under his guidance, the 2007 season proved to be one of the best ever for LSU in terms of defensive line play, as Glenn Dorsey won numerous awards, including the Lombardi, Outland, Nagurski and Lott Awards. Dorsey was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, while also making numerous All-America teams on his way to becoming the most decorated defender in school history, leading to his selection as the fifth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
 
In 2006, his first LSU season, Lane helped LSU put together one of the best defensive lines in all of college football. Under Lane's watch, the Tigers had one player picked in the NFL Draft (Chase Pittman - 7th round Cleveland Browns), one player earn first-team All-America honors (Glenn Dorsey), another player be named a first-team Freshman All-American (Ricky Jean-Francois) and a fourth defensive lineman named second-team All-SEC (Tyson Jackson). Lane also helped guide NFL picks Al Woods and Rahim Alem.
 
Prior to joining the LSU staff in the spring of 2006, Lane helped build a University of South Florida football program from scratch, as part of the first coaching staff hired in 1996 by Jim Leavitt. Lane spent all 11 years with the Bulls under Leavitt. During his tenure, South Florida began play in 1997 in the I-AA ranks, moved up to Division I-A in 2001 and earned the school's first bowl bid during the 2005 season as a member of the Big East Conference.
 
Lane coached a defensive line that helped the Bulls rank among the top five in the nation in sacks in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, South Florida's defensive line accounted for 33 of the team's 45 sacks, while a year earlier they had 31.5 of the squad's 41 sacks.
 
In 2005, the Bulls ranked No. 14 in the nation in scoring defense and were No. 18 in rushing defense on their way to reaching a bowl game for the first time in school history. USF lost to N.C. State, 14-0, in the Meineke Car Care Bowl to cap the 2005 season.
 
Prior to his coaching stint at USF, Lane coached linebackers for one year (1993) at Bloomingdale High School, followed by two years (1994-95) as the defensive coordinator at Brandon High School in Florida.
 
Other coaching stops for Lane include: defensive coordinator at Tampa Catholic High School in 1980-81; defensive line coach at Tampa Chamberlain High School in 1982-83; defensive line coach at Tampa Gaither High School in 194-85; and defensive coordinator at Tampa Bay Vo-Tech in 1991-92.
 
Lane is a graduate of Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, and H.B. Plant High School in Tampa. He and his wife Sharon have three children James, Sharrick and AaLannie. His son, Sharrick, played football at Louisiana-Lafayette, and recently completed earning his Master’s Degree from Bethune-Cookman University.