Football
Dawkins, Sean
Sean Dawkins
- Title:
- Assistant Coach / Running Backs
- Email:
- football@memphis.edu
- Phone:
- 901-678-5119
Sean Dawkins enters his third season as running backs coach for Memphis in 2023. Head football coach Ryan Silverfield announced the hiring of Dawkins as the program’s running backs coach on March 21, 2022. Dawkins joined the Tigers after spending three seasons as the run game coordinator and running backs coach at Charlotte.
Â
“We are very excited to add Sean Dawkins as our running backs coach here at Memphis,” Silverfield remarked at the time of his hiring. “We have had a great history with success in this room and know that Coach Dawkins will continue this tradition. He is a fantastic teacher and leader of men.”
Â
In 2023, Dawkins helped guide the Tigers to a 10-3 season, including a win in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, 36-26, over Iowa State. The 10-win season was just the fifth in program history. Offensively, Memphis ranked sixth in the NCAA in scoring offense (39.4), 10th in passing offense (306.5), 14th in total offense (458.5) and 17th in team passing efficiency (154.79) and completion percentage (.667).
Individually, running back Blake Watson earned First-Team All-AAC honors after totaling 192 rushes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. Watson added 53 receptions for 480 yards and three scores. Watson ranked eighth in the NCAA in total touchdowns (17), 15th in rushing touchdowns and 17th in all-purpose yards (125.92).
In his first season at Memphis in 2022, Dawkins helped guide the Tigers to a 38-10 victory over Utah State in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. Memphis finished the season ranked fifth in the nation in fewest penalties (53), 21st in passing offense (279.2) and 22nd in scoring offense (35.3).
Dawkins guided Shadrick Byrd to Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors in 2021. Byrd rushed for 583 yards on 132 carries with three touchdowns and factored in the passing game, reeling in 20 receptions for 248 yards and a pair of scores.
Â
In 2020, Dawkins helped Aaron McCallister earn honorable-mention all-conference honors for the 49ers after rushing for 268 yards and three touchdowns in just six games.
Â
In his first season with Charlotte in 2019, Dawkins oversaw Conference USA’s top ranked running game as the 49ers set school records for wins (7), C-USA wins (5) and winning streak (5 games) while earning a trip to the program’s first-ever bowl game: Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.
Charlotte put up a school-record 2,639 rushing yards to lead C-USA and rank 30th in the nation with an average of 203.0 rushing yards/game. The attack was led by First-Team All-Conference USA choice Benny LeMay, who rushed for over 1,000 yards for the second straight season. LeMay ranked second in C-USA with a 98.4 rushing average and led the league with 120.4 all-purpose yards/game. He was chosen by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent immediately after the 2020 NFL Draft.
Dawkins was running backs coach at Troy, his alma mater, in 2018. He was running backs coach at Austin Peay during the turnaround season of 2017 and had a one-year stop at Chattanooga in 2014 where he coached alongside Healy.
In 2018, Dawkins helped Troy to a 10-3 mark (7-1 in the Sun Belt Conference) and a 42-32 victory over Buffalo in the Dollar General Bowl. The Trojans rushed for an average of 174.1 yards per game and had 21 rushing touchdowns.
In 2017 at APSU, Dawkins oversaw the nation’s sixth-ranked rushing attack at the FCS level. The Govs averaged 258.8 yards per game with 32 rushing touchdowns on its way to an 8-4 record (8-1 vs. FCS foes).
He spent six seasons in two stints at Murray State. He spent four seasons from 2010-2013 before heading to Chattanooga. After helping the Mocs to a 10-4 record in 2014, he returned to Murray State for 2015 and 2016, where he also served as co-run game coordinator in 2016. He also coached at West Texas A&M and Huntingdon College.
As a player, Dawkins led Troy to its first two of five straight Sun Belt Championships in 2006 and 2007. He was also a part of Troy’s first two bowl teams: 2004 Silicon Valley Classic; 2006 New Orleans Bowl. He graduated from Troy in 2007 with a degree in social science.
Dawkins At A Glance
Coaching Experience
Bowl Coaching Experience
Â
“We are very excited to add Sean Dawkins as our running backs coach here at Memphis,” Silverfield remarked at the time of his hiring. “We have had a great history with success in this room and know that Coach Dawkins will continue this tradition. He is a fantastic teacher and leader of men.”
Â
In 2023, Dawkins helped guide the Tigers to a 10-3 season, including a win in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, 36-26, over Iowa State. The 10-win season was just the fifth in program history. Offensively, Memphis ranked sixth in the NCAA in scoring offense (39.4), 10th in passing offense (306.5), 14th in total offense (458.5) and 17th in team passing efficiency (154.79) and completion percentage (.667).
Individually, running back Blake Watson earned First-Team All-AAC honors after totaling 192 rushes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. Watson added 53 receptions for 480 yards and three scores. Watson ranked eighth in the NCAA in total touchdowns (17), 15th in rushing touchdowns and 17th in all-purpose yards (125.92).
In his first season at Memphis in 2022, Dawkins helped guide the Tigers to a 38-10 victory over Utah State in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. Memphis finished the season ranked fifth in the nation in fewest penalties (53), 21st in passing offense (279.2) and 22nd in scoring offense (35.3).
Dawkins guided Shadrick Byrd to Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors in 2021. Byrd rushed for 583 yards on 132 carries with three touchdowns and factored in the passing game, reeling in 20 receptions for 248 yards and a pair of scores.
Â
In 2020, Dawkins helped Aaron McCallister earn honorable-mention all-conference honors for the 49ers after rushing for 268 yards and three touchdowns in just six games.
Â
In his first season with Charlotte in 2019, Dawkins oversaw Conference USA’s top ranked running game as the 49ers set school records for wins (7), C-USA wins (5) and winning streak (5 games) while earning a trip to the program’s first-ever bowl game: Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.
Charlotte put up a school-record 2,639 rushing yards to lead C-USA and rank 30th in the nation with an average of 203.0 rushing yards/game. The attack was led by First-Team All-Conference USA choice Benny LeMay, who rushed for over 1,000 yards for the second straight season. LeMay ranked second in C-USA with a 98.4 rushing average and led the league with 120.4 all-purpose yards/game. He was chosen by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent immediately after the 2020 NFL Draft.
Dawkins was running backs coach at Troy, his alma mater, in 2018. He was running backs coach at Austin Peay during the turnaround season of 2017 and had a one-year stop at Chattanooga in 2014 where he coached alongside Healy.
In 2018, Dawkins helped Troy to a 10-3 mark (7-1 in the Sun Belt Conference) and a 42-32 victory over Buffalo in the Dollar General Bowl. The Trojans rushed for an average of 174.1 yards per game and had 21 rushing touchdowns.
In 2017 at APSU, Dawkins oversaw the nation’s sixth-ranked rushing attack at the FCS level. The Govs averaged 258.8 yards per game with 32 rushing touchdowns on its way to an 8-4 record (8-1 vs. FCS foes).
He spent six seasons in two stints at Murray State. He spent four seasons from 2010-2013 before heading to Chattanooga. After helping the Mocs to a 10-4 record in 2014, he returned to Murray State for 2015 and 2016, where he also served as co-run game coordinator in 2016. He also coached at West Texas A&M and Huntingdon College.
As a player, Dawkins led Troy to its first two of five straight Sun Belt Championships in 2006 and 2007. He was also a part of Troy’s first two bowl teams: 2004 Silicon Valley Classic; 2006 New Orleans Bowl. He graduated from Troy in 2007 with a degree in social science.
Dawkins At A Glance
| Alma Mater | Troy, 2007 |
| Playing Experience | Troy (2003-07) Running back Helped Troy win two Sun Belt Championships in 2006 and 2007 |
Coaching Experience
| Huntingdon College | Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2008) |
| West Texas A&M | Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2009) |
| Murray State | Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2010-13) Run Game Coordinator, Running Backs (2015-16) |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga | Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2014) |
| Austin Peay State | Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2017) |
| Troy | Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2018) |
| Charlotte | Run Game Coordinator, Running Backs (2019-2021) |
| Memphis | Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2022-Present) |
Bowl Coaching Experience
| 2018 | Dollar General Bowl |
| 2019 | Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl |
| 2022 | SERVPRO First Responder Bowl |
| 2023 | AutoZone Liberty Bowl |
Football: Ryan Silverfield Press Conference-September 8, 2025
Monday, September 08
Football: Ryan Silverfield Georgia State Press Conference-September 6, 2025
Sunday, September 07
Football Brendon: Lewis Georgia State Press Conference-September 6, 2025
Sunday, September 07
Football Sutton Smith and Makari Bodiford Georgia State Press Conference- September 7, 2025
Sunday, September 07
