the nine team league, in Sanders's first year as head coach. The team ended up finishing the regular season 8-3, earning a share of the Southern Conference championship and an at-large bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS playoffs, the second playoff appearance in program history. The team lost its first-round game, against Jacksonville State. Sanders was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year and was one of 15 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. Sanders also received a contract extension through 2023. On December 13, 2021, Sanders announced his retirement to focus on his family. Head coaching record References External links East Tennessee State profile Florida State profile 1965 births Living people American football quarterbacks East Tennessee State Buccaneers football coaches Florida State Seminoles football coaches Kentucky Wildcats football coaches Tennessee Volunteers football coaches Tennessee Volunteers football players Morristown-Hamblen High School East alumni People from Morristown, Tennessee People from Hamblen County, Tennessee