Rashad Sanders

University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

Title

Assistant Football Coach/Defensive Line
Email

bsanders12@uco.edu
Phone

405-974-2140

In his fourth year at the University of Central Oklahoma is Rashad Sanders, who coaches the defensive line for the Bronchos.

Sanders came to UCO in the spring of 2020 but the Bronchos did not have an opportunity to compete that fall due to the pandemic.

He led the team back onto the field in 2021 and was key in Central's defensive front. Two players (Michael Slater and Noah West) earned All-MIAA honors with Slater also earning All-Region honors. Central Oklahoma totaled 76 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 2021 including 18 quarterback sacks. Sanders helped Slater to 18.5 tackles for a loss, among the best in the country.

In 2022, he helped UCO earn its first winning season since 2018 and coached two more All-MIAA honorees in Slater and Robert Fuentes.

Sanders came to Central after spending the 2019 season at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Before that Sanders had a stint as the defensive line coach at Lubbock Estacado High School in Lubbock, Texas where he was also the head boy's wrestling coach. He spent the two years prior to that as the defensive line coach for Elgin High School in Elgin, Texas.

Sanders' collegiate experience includes four years assisting with the West Texas A&M football program, most recently as the inside linebackers coach for the 2015 campaign. Prior to that, he was the outside linebackers coach for the 2013 and 2014 seasons after spending the 2012 year as the defensive line coach, and started his coaching career as the graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach for the spring of 2012.

In 2012 Sanders helped the Buffs achieve a national semifinal berth in the Division II Playoffs. The very next year the Buffs were in the playoffs again with another impressive run landing in the regional round where they lost to Grand Valley State.

A native of Flower Mound, Texas, Sanders played collegiately for West Texas where he was an All-Lone Star Conference honorable mention selection following the 2010 season. He went on to coach 10 All-LSC selections for WTAMU & three All-LSC selections for TAMUK, including Ethan Westbrook, a 2013 First Team All-American, Patric Youngman, the 2013 LSC Freshman of the Year, and Carter James, the 2014 LSC Freshman of the Year.