Everett Withers to be Texas State’s New Head Football Coach

By Jonathan Rodriguez
Sports Reporter

The search is finally over for the new leader of Texas State University football. Former head coach of the FCS program James Madison, Everett Withers, is now the new face of Texas State Football.

The enlisting of Parker Executive Search services had many waiting in anticipation for the “splash-hire” the athletics department sought after. With names such as Houston’s offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, University of Texas’ tight end coach Jeff Traylor, and TCU’s co-offensive coordinator Doug Meacham all being mentioned and creating a buzz, needless to say this comes out of left field.

Late into Wednesday, it had been reported that the only candidates interviewed were current Texas State assistant head coach Mike Shultz and former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads. The aforementioned candidates that had all been subject to Texas State fans as to who would be the right man for the job can be laid to rest.

To bring students and fans a brush-up on Everett Withers, he has over 27 years of coaching under his belt. He has NFL and college experience with his latest work coming from James Madison where began in 2013. In his first season, Withers had lead the James Madison Dukes’ program to an FCS playoffs appearance and was also a finalist for the FCS Coach of the Year Award. In his two years at James Madison he had amassed a 19-7 overall record.

Prior to James Madison, he had a brief stint with the Ohio State program as a defensive coordinator. He also has head coaching experience at North Carolina during 2011. After a couple of sanctions that plagued UNC during their 2011 season and the departure of then coach Butch Davis, Withers became the interim head coach and finished with a 7-6 record for the Tar Heels.

Withers also has coaching experience with Austin Peay, Texas, Minnesota, Louisville, Tulane, Southern Miss, the New Orleans Saints, and the Tennessee Titans.

Withers will now take over a program that went a disappointing 3-9 this past season. Texas State has been an FBS team for the past four years, in which two of those years had them bowl-eligible yet without a bowl invitation.