DeKALB – Following the departure of several assistant coaches – including all three coordinators, NIU football has made its first big hire of the offseason.
The Huskies have hired former University of Charleston head coach Quinn Sanders to be their next offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, NIU Athletics announced in a news release Tuesday.
Sanders has spent 11 of the past 12 seasons on Charleston’s coaching staff, including the last three as head coach. During his time at the helm, Sanders compiled a 27-8 record and led the Golden Eagles to their first two Mountain East Conference titles in program history. He was named the MEC Coach of the Year in 2023 and 2024.
“We are excited to have Quinn Sanders join our staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach,” said head coach Thomas Hammock, whose latest staff decision marks the third offensive coordinator hire of his six-year tenure. “He excelled at every level – from position coach to coordinator to head coach – throughout his time at Charleston and led that program to new heights. His ability to reimagine the way we play offense and to put our players in the best position to be successful led me to bring him to NIU. He is an excellent teacher at the quarterback position which I know will benefit our players in that room.”
NIU hired Sanders to replace Wesley Beschorner, who was reportedly fired following the Huskies’ 20-9 loss to Miami University on Nov. 19. This will be Sanders’ first coaching gig in Division I.
“This is an amazing opportunity to get a chance to work at NIU with Coach Hammock,” Sanders said. “The opportunity to come here – with as much history and prestige as the football program and university have – was something special and after bringing [Mountain East Conference] championships to Charleston in the last two years, this is the right place for me to take the next step.”
Sanders played football and ran track at Charleston from 2007 to 2011. After graduation, he began his coaching career at Florida’s South Walton High School. Sanders returned to Charleston for a brief stint as a coaching intern in 2013.
In 2014, Sanders left UC to become a running backs coach at Midwestern State University in Texas. The Mustangs had the ninth-best rushing offense in Division II that season, running for 2,745 yards and 33 touchdowns over 10 games.
Sanders returned to his alma mater for a second time in 2015 and slowly climbed the team’s coaching ladder. He mentored UC’s wide receivers for two seasons before taking on multiple roles within the team. From 2017 to 2020, Sanders served as the quarterbacks coach, passing coordinator and recruiting coordinator, among other roles.
The Florida native was elevated to offensive coordinator in February 2021 and accordingly assumed play-calling duties. Charleston averaged 37.2 points per game and 426.6 yards per game over the next two seasons – including the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season. Sanders also helped develop 2021 MEC Player of the Year and current NFL running back Tyreik McCallister.
Upon then-head coach Pat Kirkland’s departure for Jacksonville State University in February 2022, Sanders stepped in as the school’s interim head coach. He would be promoted to the full-time role a month later on March 1, 2022.
In each of his three seasons as head coach, Sanders’ offense averaged at least 39.91 points per game and 438.3 yards per game. He guided the Golden Eagles to their first-ever playoff win in 2023 and an undefeated regular season in 2024.
Now, Sanders will take the reins of a new-look NIU offense as the Huskies prepare to play their final season in the Mid-American Conference in 2025.
