In his sixth year as a head football coach, Everett Withers is in his third year at helm of the Texas State program. Withers was named Texas State’s 19th head coach on January 6, 2016 after guiding James Madison to a pair of NCAA Division I FCS Playoff appearances and leading North Carolina to the 2011 Independence Bowl.
Withers utilized his first two seasons with the Bobcats to implement a total cultural transformation. Featured were renovations and visual upgrades in the team’s End Zone Complex, new uniforms and helmets, and new lockers in the locker room. Texas State’s football players improved on the field, succeeded in the classroom at a record-setting pace and performed community service in the city of San Marcos and Hays County.
In 2017, the Bobcats ranked among the nation’s top 40 teams in rushing defense after allowing 141.7 yards per game and was 43rd in third down defense after allowing a 36.1 conversion percentage. Offensively, Texas State improved during the final five games last season when the Bobcats averaged over 389 yards of total offense and nearly 23 points after netting 304 yards and 13.4 points per contest in the first seven games.
In his first season at the school, Withers won his coaching debut at Texas State with a triple overtime victory at Ohio when the Bobcats set a school record for most completions in a game with 40 and tied another record with 418 yards passing. Later in 2016, Texas State set school records for most passing yards and touchdown passes in a game when the Bobcats threw for 475 yards and five TDs against Incarnate Word. In addition, Texas State’s special teams led the nation with eight blocked kicks and Anthony D. Taylor was the national leader with three blocked punts. Ishmael Davis also blocked two kicks to rank fourth nationally.
In 2017, Withers and his staff produced seven All-Sun Belt Conference players, including Second-Team tight end Gabe Schrade, Third-Team offensive lineman Aaron Brewer and Third-Team linebacker Frankie Griffin. The Bobcats also had four All-SBC Honorable Mention players in each of the last two years and one SBC All-Newcomer team member in 2016.
In the 2017 fall semester, Marcus Ripley was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, senior linebacker Gabe Loyd was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy and the football team recorded a combined 106 3.0 GPAs in the 2017-18 fall and spring semesters. Texas State had 71 3.0 GPAs and 25 players were named to the Dean’s List during the 2016-17 fall and spring semesters.
Texas State’s football team was heavily involved in community service when the Bobcats performed nearly 1,000 combined hours for different projects in each of the last two years. These projects included helping with youth football camps, reading programs in elementary schools, restoration projects along the San Marcos River, serving local food banks, preparing an orchard for a community garden, assisting with Keep San Marcos Beautiful and downtown beautification projects.
Head Coach At JMU
Withers came to Texas State after leading James Madison to a combined 18-7 overall record, including a combined 12-4 record in the Colonial Athletic Association in 2014 and 2015. Under Withers, the Dukes won a share of a CAA championship in 2015, the school’s first conference title since 2008, and finished third in the CAA in 2014 after being a predicted to finish eighth..
James Madison also set a school record with a 14-game, regular-season winning streak after the Dukes won the final seven games of the 2014 season and began the 2015 campaign with a 7-0 record. JMU also tied a school record by winning 10 straight CAA games.
In his two seasons at James Madison, Withers laid a foundation that helped the program win a Division I FCS national title in 2016. His offense produced record-setting quarterback Vad Lee, who tied a school record with 51 touchdown passes in just 21 career games and ranks second among JMU’s career leaders in total offense with 7,292 yards, and third in 5,662 passing yards, 446 completions and 705 attempts.
Lee also became the only player in NCAA Division I history (FCS and FBS) to pass and run for 275 yards in the same game when he threw for 289 yards and rushed for 275 yards in James Madison’s 48-45 victory over SMU on Sept. 26. He also was the first player to win the “Bill Dudley Awards” in back-to-back years, 2014 and 2015. The award is given to the top NCAA football player in Virginia.
Withers led James Madison to a 9-3 record and had a 6-2 league mark to earn a No. 5 seed in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs and hosted the school’s first home playoff game in seven years when the Dukes played Colgate in the second round.
JMU had one of the top offenses in the nation in 2015 and ranked second among FCS teams in scoring and total offense with 44.3 points and 528.8 yards per game. The team led the FCS in third-down conversions with 54 percent, while ranking fourth in pass completion percentage with 66.9 percent, seventh in rushing with 273.8 yards per game and ninth in red-zone scoring with 89.4 percent. JMU also set a school record with 6,345 yards of total offense after rushing for 3,285 yards and passing for 3,060 yards.
James Madison also excelled on its special teams after ranking seventh in kickoff returns (24.3 yards per return), 15th in net punting (37.7 yards per punt) and 11th with two blocked punts.
Withers coached 10 All-Colonial Athletic Conference players in 2015, including Lee, who was named the CAA Offensive Player of the Year after he led the nation in total offense with 375.5 yards per game and completion percentage with 68.3 percent. In his inaugural season, the Dukes had a 9-4 overall record and finished third in the league standings with a 6-2 mark after being picked eighth in the preseason polls in 2014.
James Madison also played in the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 2011. That year, James Madison set school records in total offense, passing offense, completions and touchdown passes and ranked 10th nationally in total offense with 484.6 yards per game. The Dukes also were the 17th-best scoring team and ranked 21st in both passing offense and rushing offense.
Defensively, the Dukes ranked second in the country in turnover margin (+1.08), 12th in total fumble recoveries (14) and 13th in sacks per game (2.85). They also had one of their best seasons on record in terms of blocks, ranking sixth in total blocks (7), including a No. 3 ranking in blocked punts (4).
James Madison had seven players earn All-CAA honors and senior safety Dean Marlowe was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game. Four players from his inaugural team signed free-agent contracts with National Football League teams: Marlowe (Carolina Panthers), Daniel Brown (Baltimore Ravens), Sage Harold (Kansas City Chiefs) and Brandon Lee (Seattle Seahawks).
31 Seasons in Coaching in the NCAA Division I Ranks and NFL
Beginning his 31st season in coaching, Withers has split time between the collegiate and NFL ranks. He is in his 24th year in the collegiate ranks and coached seven seasons in the NFL.
In addition to coaching at Texas State and James Madison, Withers served coaching stints at Ohio State, North Carolina, Minnesota, Texas, Louisville, Southern Miss, Tulane and Austin Peay. He also was an NFL assistant coach for six seasons with the Tennessee Titans and spent one year on the New Orleans Saints coaching staff. During his coaching career, Withers spent 11 years as a defensive coordinator and 17 seasons as a defensive secondary coach.
Rising Through The Ranks
Withers went to James Madison in January 2014 from The Ohio State University, where he served as assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2012 and 2013 under Urban Meyer. The Buckeyes set a school record with a 24-game winning streak and had a 24-2 record during his tenure. Ohio State had a 12-0 record and finished No. 3 in the national rankings in 2012. It was the sixth unbeaten and untied season in school history.
The Buckeyes also ranked second in the Big Ten with 14 interceptions, and all four starting defensive backs earned All-Big Ten Conference recognition in 2012. Withers also coached another safety who earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Conference recognition in 2013.
Prior to accepting his position with Ohio State, Withers spent four years at North Carolina. He was promoted to interim head coach in July 2011 and led the Tar Heels to a 7-6 overall record and a berth in the Independence Bowl against Missouri.
His first defensive unit (in 2008) ranked eighth nationally with 20 interceptions, which was just one shy of setting a UNC single-season record in 2008. His 2009 defense ranked sixth in total defense, 10th in rushing, 13th in scoring and 14th in passing defense. His 2010 unit was fourth in the ACC and 30th nationally.
Five players off that team were taken in the NFL draft, including first-round pick Robert Quinn. In his final season, the Tar Heels ranked 14th nationally against the run in 2011. Additionally, his defenses picked off 71 passes in four seasons.
Withers spent one year as defensive coordinator at Minnesota and was a defensive backs coach at Texas under his former collegiate coach, Mack Brown, from 1998-2000 after serving as a defensive coordinator, assistant head coach and defensive backs coach at Louisville from 1995-97.
He was also a defensive backs and assistant special teams coach at Southern Mississippi in 1992-93, outside linebackers coach at Tulane in 1991 and defensive coordinator/defensive backs in 1988-89 and tight ends and special teams coach in 1990 at Austin Peay.
Coaching in the NFL
While he was with the Tennessee Titans of the NFL in 2001-06, Withers served as a defensive backs coach under Jeff Fisher. Tennessee won an AFC South championship in 2002 and earned playoff berths in 2002 and 2003. He coached All-AFC players in Lance Schulters in 2002 and Adam “Pacman” Jones in 2005. The Titans also ranked among the NFL’s top five teams in rushing defense three times. While he was the defensive backs coach of the Titans, the squad ranked among the top 10 defenses overall in 2002. Tennessee also had 57 interceptions from 2002-04, the best three-year total for the franchise, fourth-best in the AFC and eighth-best in the NFL. The Titans recorded 21 interceptions in 2004, with 16 coming from the Withers-coached secondary. Withers also spent the 1994 season with the New Orleans Saints as a defensive quality control coach.
A native of Charlotte, N.C., Withers was a four-year letterman as a defensive back at Appalachian State. He served as team captain under Mack Brown in 1984. He and his wife, Kara, have a daughter, Tia, and a son, Pierce, who is a freshman defensive back for the Bobcats.
