By Tyler Wooten
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head coach Mike Sanford has announced the hiring of former Boise State and NFL safety Gerald Alexander as an assistant coach, completing his staff for the 2015 season. Coach Sanford also announced several changes to the structure of his coaching staff for the upcoming season.
Alexander will fittingly be in charge of the Sycamore secondary as one of Sanford's assistants, following a four-year career with Boise State and five seasons in the NFL.
“We are very excited to have Gerald Alexander join our staff,” Sanford said. “We did a national search and we feel very good about it. We've done a lot of research and we feel great about him joining our staff to help us win a Missouri Valley Football Conference championship.”
“I'm very excited, this is an incredible opportunity,” Alexander said. “This is something I have been searching for since diving into this thing as a graduate assistant at Arkansas State.”
Sanford and Alexander – as well as recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach Kriss Proctor – share the common backdrop of Boise State. Coach Sanford's son – current Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Sanford, Jr. – played for the Broncos from 2001-04, wrapping up right at the start of Alexander's career in Boise. Proctor coached for the Broncos the previous three seasons alongside Sanford.
Alexander inherits a spectacular set of defensive backs in 2015, highlighted by Preseason All-MVFC selections Mark Sewall and Travis Starks – two of the top-returning pass defenders in the conference.
“That's exciting,” Alexander said. “A lot of the techniques I've learned along the way in the NFL that make guys successful on Sundays are what I'm going to be teaching these guys here. I'm really excited to be able to work with these guys. They've had great success, and I feel privileged to carry the flag and take this thing to the next level.”
Alexander was a three-year starter and four-year letterman at Boise State, where he played under Dan Hawkins (who went on to become Colorado's head coach) and Chris Petersen (current Washington head coach). He was part of four straight WAC championship teams and was a key player on the 2006 Broncos squad that finished 13-0 and won the 2007 Fiesta Bowl in an upset win for the ages over Oklahoma.
He was a significant contributor in that win, intercepting a pass early in the third quarter and returning it 25 yards, while also notching five total tackles – including one of future NFL star Adrian Peterson for a six-yard loss in the redzone. Earlier that season, Alexander was featured as the No. 8 play in SportsCenter's Top-10 for a tackle he made at Utah on Sept. 30.
Alexander played five seasons in the NFL with the Lions, Jaguars, Panthers, Dolphins and Jets, after having been drafted by Detroit in the second round of the 2007 Draft. As a rookie with the Lions in 2007, he started all 16 games, finishing with 59 total tackles (fourth-best on the team) and a pair of interceptions, forced fumbles and sacks each. He started 10 games for the Jaguars two seasons later, putting up 45 tackles, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
After his NFL career, Alexander returned to his alma mater to coach at Rancho Cucamonga High. From there, he went on to be Arkansas State's graduate assistant in 2013, a season in which the Red Wolves won a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship. The next season, Alexander left Jonesboro to reunite with Chris Petersen during his first season as Washington's head coach. As a GA at UW in 2014, Alexander worked with the Huskie secondary, helping mentor a number of talented young prospects -- including freshman All-American Budd Baker.
Alexander, who earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Boise State in 2009, prepped at Rancho Cucamonga High in southern California, where he was a standout on the football field, the track and in the classroom.
Coach Sanford also announced some changes to the structuring of his staff following staff departures and additions. Third-year coach Brian Sheppard's new title is Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator, and he is still in charge of the Sycamore quarterbacks.
Fellow third-year staff member Vince Natali is now ISU's running game coordinator in addition to his duties with the Sycamore offensive line. First-year assistant coach Kriss Proctor is now ISU's recruiting coordinator in addition to working with the Sycamore wide receivers.
Indiana State opens the season at home on Sept. 5, when it will play host to Butler at Memorial Stadium at 3:05 p.m. Training camp opens this Tues., Aug. 4, and will run until Aug. 18.
2015 Indiana State Football Coaching Staff
Mike Sanford – Head Coach
Brian Cabral – Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Brian Sheppard – Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Jami DeBerry – Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties
Vince Natali – Running Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
Kriss Proctor – Recruiting Coordinator/Wide Receivers
Gerald Alexander – Secondary
Aaron Archie – Linebackers
Jayden Everett – Running Backs
Shannon Jackson – Defensive Line
Matt Murphy – Tight Ends
Andrew Foster, Jr. (AJ) – Director of Football Operations
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