Troy Football Adds Sean Dawkins to Coaching Staff

TROY, Alabama – Sean Dawkins is returning to Troy to coach the Trojans' running backs, head coach Neal Brown announced Friday. Dawkins helped lead Troy to a pair of Sun Belt Conference titles and two bowl appearances during his playing career with the Trojans from 2003-07.

"Sean was a coach on the field when he played here and he loves Troy," Brown said. "He was one of the most respected players on the team as his teammates voted him their captain. Sean was tough and productive as a player and that has translated into his coaching career. He's had the fortune of working in a variety of different offensive systems throughout his career which will benefit our program in a positive way."

Dawkins joins the Troy staff after helping lead one of the best turnarounds in all of college football last season at Austin Peay. The Govs finished the season 8-4 overall with three of those losses coming to FBS teams and the other to Jacksonville State, the No. 3 seed in the FCS Playoffs. Austin Peay entered the 2017 season having won just one of its last 46 games dating back to the 2013 campaign.

"I've had the pleasure of watching Coach Brown's career grow from a graduate assistant when I was a senior at Troy to now as a head coach," Dawkins said. "I look up to him as a coach and admire his body of work and his preparation for victory. This was an easy decision to come back to my alma mater, and I am appreciative to Coach Brown for the opportunity. I am truly grateful to be back and to be part of the Troy University football program."

Austin Peay featured the nation's sixth-ranked rushing attack at the FCS level under Dawkins as the Govs averaged 258.8 yards per game and tallied 32 rushing touchdowns in 12 games. The Govs featured a balanced ground game with two players averaging more than 58 yards per game.

"Sean is a proven recruiter and has a great rapport with players both on and off the field," Brown said. "His experience as a Division I running back and now a decade's worth of coaching the position will be a great addition to our running game."

Prior to his one-year stint at Austin Peay, Dawkins coached six seasons at Murray State (2010-13, 15-16) with a one-year stop at Chattanooga in 2014 breaking up his tenure with the Racers.

Dawkins added co-run game coordinator to his title at Murray State in advance of the 2016 season. Among his protégées at Murray State were Roman Clay (second team All-OVC in 2015), Mike Harris (10th 1,000-yard rusher in school history in 2011, back-to-back first team All-OVC honors) and Jamaal Berry (averaged 7.0 yards per carry en route to all-newcomer honors in 2012).

With the Mocs in 2014, Dawkins was part of a coaching staff that oversaw a No. 8 final ranking and advanced to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. The Mocs tallied 2,951 yards on the ground and featured a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Keon Williams and Jacob Huesman.

Prior to his arrival at Murray State, Dawkins served as running backs coach at West Texas A&M in 2009, helping the Buffs to a fifth-straight winning season and Keithon Flemming to All-Lone Star Conference honors. He began his coaching career at Huntingdon College, tutoring Jamal Gardner to a 1,000-yard rushing campaign.

As a player, Dawkins helped lead Troy to the first two (2006 & 2007) of what would be five straight Sun Belt titles. Dawkins was a member of Troy's first two bowl teams as well – 2004 Silicon Valley Classic and 2006 New Orleans Bowl. He completed his career with more than 700 all-purpose yards and added four rushing touchdowns. He graduated from Troy in 2007 with a degree in social science.

Troy University Athletics

Troy Football Adds Sean Dawkins to Coaching Staff

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