Tarleton State Men’s Basketball head coach Eric Haut has announced another addition to his coaching staff, assistant coach Jake Williams.
Williams is the second addition to Haut’s first staff at Tarleton State. Williams has spent time at six different programs prior to heading to Stephenville. He has served as a video coordinator, director of operations, assistant coach, associate head coach and head coach during his 14 seasons of collegiate coaching. During his time, he has spent seven years on the bench at Division I programs with them owning a 152-81 overall record with six of his seven seasons being 20-win campaigns. In his first year, he reached the NCAA Tournament with Middle Tennessee. He also served as a head coach at the junior college level for five seasons holding a 112-38 record with a .746 winning percentage.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Jake Williams to Tarleton State,” said Haut. “He’s an elite, all-around coach—an outstanding recruiter, a strong relationship builder, and someone with valuable head coaching experience at the junior college level. Jake has always been on my short list of guys I’ve wanted to bring onto our staff, so this is a special addition for us. He will do a great job with our players and help elevate our program to new heights. We are so excited to welcome Jake, his wife Justine, and his two boys – Nash and Tucker to our Tarleton State family!”
Williams most recently served as an associate head coach at Milwaukee for two seasons where he also spent the prior two years as an assistant coach. Williams and Haut coached against each other in the Horizon League for two years while Haut was at Northern Kentucky. Their relationship first started during Williams’ two seasons at Northwest Florida State from 2015-17. Williams was noted as an up-and-coming coach after earning a spot on Silver Waves Media seventh annual compilation of the “100 Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches and GMs” for 2026.
“I first got to know coach Haut while I was coaching Junior College, and later when we competed in the Horizon League during my first two years at Milwaukee,” said Williams. “I’ve always respected Coach E’s work ethic, success, and the path that led him to become the head coach at Tarleton State. He’s not only a great coach, but an even better person who values authentic relationships and making a meaningful impact. With Tarleton State’s new facilities and strong administrative support, everything is in place for sustained success. I’m excited to get to work and help build a winner alongside Coach E and our staff.”
After graduating with his degree in health education and sports management at Middle Tennessee, he spent two seasons with the Blue Raiders as the video coordinator. In his first year at MTSU, the squad earned an NCAA Tournament berth after winning the Sun Belt regular season title boasting a 19-1 conference record. Overall, the team was 28-6 and earned an 11-seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. In his final season at MTSU, the team notched back-to-back regular season conference titles winning the CUSA crown in their first season in the league with a 13-3 record. They also tallied another 20-win season finishing 24-9. He spent both seasons serving under longtime Middle Tennessee head coach, Kermit Davis Jr.
After his two seasons in Murfreesboro, Williams spent the 2014-15 season under head coach LeVelle Moton at NC Central. Williams was a part of his third-consecutive conference regular season champion squad as the Eagles were a perfect 16-0 in MEAC play and 25-8 overall. They earned a trip to the NIT, where they fell in the first round to Miami (FL).
Following his one-year stint at NC Central, he spent the next two seasons at Northwest Florida State. In each of his two seasons, the Raiders reached the NJCAA National Tournament. In his first season, the squad finished 27-6 with their season ending in the NJCAA National Tournament Quarterfinals. The following year, the Raiders reached the semifinals of the national tournament and eventually earned fourth place. The squad boasted a 29-5 record. Williams helped 10 Raiders reach the Division I level after playing for the Raiders.
After his success at Northwest Florida State, he earned his first collegiate head coaching job at the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie for three seasons. His run included consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history, highlighted by a 27-4 mark in his final season (2019-20). His players were honored with back-to-back-to-back Region 10 Player of the Year and All-American Selections, and his team made trips to the Region 10 Championship in each of the three seasons as well.
In his third season as head coach, the 2019-20 campaign included a Region 10 regular-season championship as well as a District 10 Tournament crown. USC-Salk won its first-ever Region and District Championship and received the No. 7 overall bid and a first-round bye into the Sweet 16 before COVID-19 led to cancellation of the event. The team also set the school record for wins in a single season with 27.
Following his trio of seasons at USC-Salk, he was tabbed the head coach of Dodge City Community College for the next two seasons starting with the 2020-21 season. In his first season, he led the Conquistadors to a 14-9 record and a bid to the Region VI Quarterfinals.
In his final season, he led the Conquistadors to an impressive 30-5 overall record, which included a 21-3 mark in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play. The historic season for the program came to a close in the Elite Eight of the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Williams led the squad to its first KJCCC title since 2007, its first Region VI crown since 1982, and the first trip to the NJCAA National Tournament since 1974, while also establishing a school record for victories in a single season with 30.
During his time as a head coach, his career record is 112-38, a .746 winning percentage. He has helped 26 players move on to the NCAA Division I level over the past five seasons and recruited and coached six NJCAA All-Americans.
Williams then returned to the Division I ranks by joining the Milwaukee staff as an assistant coach in 2022 and spent two seasons with the Panthers before being elevated to an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator ahead of the 2024-25 season. During his first three seasons with the Panthers, Williams helped the program notch three consecutive 20-win seasons.
During his time at Milwaukee, Williams was instrumental in the recruiting and development of multiple Horizon League Award Winners. He assisted with BJ Freeman (2022-23 & 2023-24 All Horizon-League Second Team Honors), Ahmad Rand (2022-23 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year), Faizon Fields (2023-24 Horizon League All-Tournament Team), Jamichael Stillwell (2024-25 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year & All-League First Team Honors), and Themus Fulks (2024-25 All Horizon-League Second Team Honors).
Williams helped lead the Panthers to a CBI tournament bid in 2023 and helped lead the team to the Horizon League Championship game in 2024. The three-straight 20-win seasons were the best streak in program history since 2002 when Milwaukee recorded four 20-win seasons in a row.
Haut’s staff will continued to be announced this week with more information about the 2026-27 roster and schedule being announced at a later date.
