Everett Withers will reportedly become Texas State’s new coach

James Madison coach and former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Everett Withers will be the new coach at Texas State, according to Football Scoop.

Withers is a coaching veteran who has built up experience in the NFL and NCAA over the course of a 27-year career. His most recent stop had placed him at James Madison University, where he has helped return the Dukes to the FCS Playoff. In two years in Harrisonburg, he’s gone 19-7 and led JMU to the No. 5 seed in this year’s FCS Playoffs.

James Madison wasn’t his first head coaching position in Division I. Withers was named interim head coach at North Carolina after Butch Davis was fired in the midst of several NCAA sanctions in the summer of 2011. He lasted only one 7-6 season before the Tar Heels moved on to Larry Fedora. Before taking the lead role at JMU, he was co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State for two years.

In his college career, he’s also worked for Austin Peay, Tulane, Southern Miss, Louisville, Texas, and Minnesota. He also spent five seasons as defensive backs coach for the Tennessee Titans and one as a quality control coach with the New Orleans Saints. Withers also holds the distinction of being the first coach to bring ESPN’s College Gameday to James Madison.

Withers takes over a Texas State program that went 3-9 this season, after which five-year coach Dennis Franchione retired. The Bobcats have been an FBS team for four years, with their best record, 7-5, coming last year.