Dillon Sanders joined the Lobo coaching staff in June of 2019, and he serves as a linebackers coach. Sanders has spent the past three seasons with the Kentucky Wildcats of the SEC as a football quality control assistant and defensive graduate assistant working with Kentucky’s linebackers.
While with Kentucky, the Wildcats steadily improved on the defensive side of the ball, nearly halving its points allowed per game, down to 16.8 in 2018. With Kentucky he was able to work with Josh Allen, who won the 2018 Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player. He was eventually selected as the No. 7 overall draft choice in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sanders is very familiar with the Mountain West, having spent three seasons as a defensive graduate assistant working with Utah State’s outside linebackers from 2013-15. While with the Aggies, he worked alongside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator Kevin Clune, and Utah State in his final season ranked 17th nationally in total defense and 12th nationally in passing defense. He also worked with Kyle Fackrell, who was a third round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers.
Utah State also ranked 12th nationally in scoring defense in 2014, and seventh nationally in scoring defense in 2013.
Along with his collegiate background, Sanders spent five seasons with the Colorado Ice of the Indoor Football League, and he served as an undergraduate assistant at his alma mater, Northern Colorado. He has a B.S. in business administration and finance from Northern Colorado (2010) and an M.Ed. in physical and sport education from Utah State (2015).
Dillon and his wife Becca were married in 2018.