INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WKRN) — When the Titans hired defensive assistant coach Lori Locust, it was historic.
“I was a football fan from the time I was a little kid,” said Locust. “I was a Steelers fan. Jack Lambert was my favorite person. There was just something about the way that the Steelers play defense that I just locked into.”
So it was no surprise that Locust fit right in on the Titans defensive coaching staff.
“I love the room! The guys are great. Denico [Autry] is one of my favorite humans on the planet, and he and I have a really good relationship. [Arden Key] same thing. It’s it’s just a good room and I think we all collectively had that same energy.”
Last season, Locust became the first woman coach in Titans franchise history, but she doesn’t like to see it that way – to her she’s no different than the guys.
She came to Tennessee with 15 years of coaching experience — most notably three seasons as an assistant defensive line coach in Tampa Bay where she would win a Super Bowl.
“I never really saw it as a detriment because I look different or I was different from everybody else in the building or everybody else in the room.”
Locust spent this week at the NFL Scouting Combine speaking to young ladies whose dream it is to follow in her footsteps. Her biggest message to them, the negative comments are just noise.
“I think social media is a blessing and a curse, right? So at this point, I don’t look at the comments anymore and I just let things ride because I’ve got a job to do, we’ve got to win football games, anything else is just noise.”
“It’s an incredible feeling to know that maybe some of the things that I did will help influence these young women. And maybe some of the same pathways I’m not making them clear as far as like you don’t have to do the work, but maybe they can see things a little bit better. And our relationships and how we handle ourselves in the League right now is setting the groundwork for those that come after us.”
In January, the Titans hired Dennard Wilson as the team’s next defensive coordinator. Locust urges fans to buckle up because the Titans are headed to new heights.
“I love this style of defense that we’re laying out right now.”
“It’s aggressive, it’s violent. It’s going to be something the guys are really going to take to once we get them in the building. I feel as though the level of football in Tennessee is only going to continue to rise, you know, with Ran [Carthon], with Coach [Brian] Callahan. There’s so much potential, but the style of defense, it’s going to be it’s going to be aggressive and having a heart of defense right now, you can’t ask for better than that type of mentality coming in.”
The Titans have the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, with 8 total picks.