Jackson State University

Justin Sanders joins the Jackson State coaching staff for his first season in 2025, coming to the Tigers after two years coaching safeties at Charlotte.

Prior to Charlotte, Sanders spent four years as the defensive backs coach at Texas Southern University following a three-year stint at back-to-back National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Champion East Mississippi Community College.

Sanders has been effective in coaching a ball-hawking defense. At TSU, Sanders' defensive backs led the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 17 interceptions, four of which were returned for touchdowns. The Tigers added 33 pass break ups. In 2021, TSU had 10 picks and 43 break ups. In his first season, the secondary also registered 43.

Sanders went to TSU after spending three seasons as a secondary coach and special teams coordinator at nationally-acclaimed junior college power East Mississippi Community College from 2016-18. EMCC won back-to-back NJCAA National Championships and three consecutive MACJC State Championships during his tenure. EMCC went 33-2 during his time there and owned the top-ranked scoring defense in the country in 2018.

Before joining the staff at East Mississippi, Sanders was a graduate assistant in the secondary at Texas A&M during a pair of eight-win seasons and back-to-back bowl game appearances in 2014-15. At Texas A&M, he coached NFL safeties Justin Evans (New Orleans Saints) and Donovan Wilson (Dallas Cowboys).

Before his stint in College Station, Texas, Sanders began his collegiate coaching career at North Carolina in 2012-13.  He spent two years as a defensive graduate assistant for the Tar Heels and helped mentor 2014 NFL Draft selections Tre Boston and Jabari Price of the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings, respectively.  Sanders was also a part of UNC's 2013 Belk Bowl-winning team.

A native of Pearl, Miss., Sanders started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Quitman (Miss.) High School from 2008-11. He served as defensive coordinator at Richland (Miss.) High School in 2011-12.

Sanders starred at Illinois and was a part of the team's 2007 Rose Bowl squad that had an impressive turnaround to finish 9-4 and post a win over No. 1-ranked Ohio State. He had 57 tackles, including 4.0 TFL, eight PBU and three forced fumbles. He would go on to sign a free-agent contract with the NFL's Detroit Lions in 2008. He attended Northeast Mississippi CC and was named the 2005 MACJC North Division's Defensive Back MVP after helping the NEMCC Tigers to a 7-2 record, a postseason bowl appearance, and a No. 15 final NJCAA ranking. 

Sanders, a 2008 graduate of Illinois with a degree in Mathematics, and his wife, Ravonda, have a daughter, Journee, and a son, Jackson.