Everette Sands
Everette Sands
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Everette Sands is in his third season as UTSA’s running backs coach.

In his first year with the Roadrunners, he helped guide the team to six wins and the program's first-ever bowl game, the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl. His running backs, led by the potent one-two-punch of Jarveon Williams and Jalen Rhodes, combined to produce 2,104 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, helping the offense set numerous school records in the process. Williams became the program's all-time leading rusher with 2,393 yards after piling up 900 on the ground, including four of his UTSA-best eight 100-yard games, and eight scores as a senior. Rhodes rushed for 827 and a school-record nine TDs in his sophomore campaign.

Sands saw his running backs combine for 1,449 rushing yards and eight TDs and help the Roadrunners to their second straight season of being bowl eligible in 2017. Rhodes led the ground attack with 659 yards and five scores and he enters his senior season needing just 666 yards to become the program's all-time leading rusher. Led by Rhodes' 174-yard outburst, UTSA broke single-game records with 357 rushing yards and 569 total yards in the 44-14 victory at Texas State.

Sands, who has tutored 1,000-yard backs at four different schools, came to the Alamo City after a four-year stint as the running backs coach at South Carolina under Steve Spurrier.

During Sands’ tenure with the Gamecocks from 2012-15, he mentored a pair of future NFL Draft picks in Mike Davis and Marcus Lattimore and recruited five ESPN Top 300 players to the program. He helped South Carolina to three bowls victories, back-to-back 11-win campaigns in 2012-13 and final rankings of No. 6 in 2013 and seventh in 2012.

In Sands’ first season in Columbia, the Gamecocks rushed for 19 touchdowns and averaged 139 yards on the ground. Lattimore piled up 835 yards from scrimmage (662 rushing) and 11 scores before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the ninth game of the season against Tennessee.

In 2013, Davis racked up 1,183 yards on the ground in registering the school’s 10th 1,000-yard campaign. He was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference by both The Associated Press and the league’s head coaches.

In his third year with the Gamecocks, Davis (982) and Brandon Wilds (570) each rushed for more than 500 yards and combined for 13 rushing touchdowns. Davis fell just 18 yards shy of joining Hesiman Trophy winner George Rogers as the only back in school history to record multiple 1,000-yard seasons.

Sands spent the 2011 campaign as the running backs coach at North Carolina State. In his lone season with the Wolfpack, his backs registered four individual 100-yard performances, the first time that had happened since 2007. He also was the program’s pro football liaison.

A native of Conway, S.C., Sands served two stints at The Citadel, first from 1999-2000 and again from 2005-10. During his second tenure, he coached three Southern Conference All-Freshman team selections and all-league performer Tory Cooper, who rushed for 1,041 yards and a school record 19 touchdowns in 2007.

Between his stints at The Citadel, Sands coached the offensive backs at Ohio from 2001-04. One of his running backs, Chad Brinker, rushed for 1,099 yards en route to all-conference accolades in 2002.

Sands got into the coaching profession at the high school level in 1995 when he was at Sea Island Academy in Johns Island, S.C. At that time, he was considered to be the youngest head coach in the history of South Carolina high school football.

His first college coaching position came at Elon from 1996-98.

Sands also was an intern with the Carolina Panthers in 2000 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2015, assisting the running backs coach with both franchises.

Sands was a four-time All-Southern Conference running back at The Citadel. He ranks second in school history with 3,926 career rushing yards and 16 100-yard rushing games, third with 3,977 all-purpose yards and fourth with 34 touchdowns and 204 points. He garnered All-America accolades as a junior when he led The Citadel to a conference title and the school’s first 11-win season after rushing for 1,449 yards and 12 touchdowns. He served as a team captain in 1993 and was inducted into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.

Sands earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from The Citadel in 1993.

Sands is married to the former Yvette Newton and the couple has two sons, Everette III “Tre” and Josiah, and one daughter, Sierra.

The Everette Sands File
Coaching Experience

• 2016-present: UTSA, assistant coach/running backs
• 2012-15: South Carolina, assistant coach/running backs
• 2011: North Carolina State, assistant coach/running backs
• 2005-10: The Citadel, assistant coach/running backs
• 2001-04: Ohio, assistant coach/offensive backs
• 1999-2000: The Citadel, assistant coach/running backs
• 1996-98: Elon, assistant coach
• 1995: Sea Island Academy (S.C.) HS, head coach

NFL Players Coached
• Chad Brinker, RB, Jets
• Pharoh Cooper, WR, Rams
• Mike Davis, RB, 49ers
• Marcus Lattimore, RB, 49ers
• Andre Roberts, WR, Cardinals, Falcons, Jets, Lions, Redskins
• Brandon Wilds, RB, Browns, Jaguars, Jets
• David Williams, RB, Broncos
• Jarveon Williams, RB, Bengals

Playing Experience
• 1989-92: The Citadel, running back

Education
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, The Citadel, 1993

Hometown
• Conway, S.C.

Family
• Wife: Yvette
• Children: Everette III “Tre”, Josiah, Sierra