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Spencer Sanders

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Spencer Sanders
Sanders with Oklahoma State in 2019
No. 18 – DC Defenders
PositionQuarterback
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (1999-12-15) December 15, 1999 (age 26)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolBilly Ryan (Denton, Texas)
College
NFL draft2024: undrafted
Career history
Awards and highlights

Spencer Sanders (born December 15, 1999) is an American professional football quarterback for the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Ole Miss Rebels.

Early life

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Sanders grew up in Denton, Texas and attended Billy Ryan High School. He passed for 3,288 yards and 35 touchdowns along with 1,099 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground in his junior season before tearing his ACL.[1] Rated a four-star recruit, Sanders committed to play college football at Oklahoma State during his junior year over offers from Colorado, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Penn State and Texas A&M.[2] As a senior, Sanders threw for 3,845 yards and 54 touchdowns and ran for 1,380 yards and 16 touchdowns and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year, the Associated Press Player of the Year, and Texas Mr. Football.[3][4]

College career

[edit]

Oklahoma State

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Sanders redshirted his true freshman season.[5] After competing with Dru Brown throughout spring practice and summer training camp, Sanders was named the Cowboys starting quarterback just before the season opener.[6][7] Sanders was named the Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Week for week 2 after throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns on 12 of 18 passing with 51 yards rushing in slightly more than one half of play against McNeese State.[8] Sanders was named the Newcomer of the Week a second time after completing nine of 12 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another 88 yards in a 34–27 win against TCU.[9] The following game against Kansas Sanders suffered a torn ligament in his throwing hand, ending his redshirt freshman season.[10] He threw for 2,065 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while rushing for 625 yards and two touchdowns and was named the conference Offensive Freshman of the Year.[11][12]

Sanders suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of 2020 season opening game against Tulsa and missed the following game.[13] He finished the season with 2,007 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.[14] Sanders was named the MVP of the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl after passing for 305 yards and four touchdowns in a 37–34 win against the Miami Hurricanes.[15]

Sanders missed the opener of his redshirt junior season against Missouri State after he tested positive for COVID-19.[16] He passed for 214 yards and one touchdown and 93 yards and another touchdown in Oklahoma State's 37–33 rivalry game victory against Oklahoma.[17] Sanders was named first team All-Big 12 after completing 243 of 392 pass attempts for 2,839 yards and 20 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions and 668 rushing yards with six touchdowns.[18][19]

On December 5, 2022, it was reported by multiple sources that Sanders intended to enter the transfer portal.[20]

Ole Miss

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On January 19, 2023, Sanders transferred to Ole Miss.[21] He served as the primary backup to Jaxson Dart during the 2023 season. Sanders made his Rebels debut in the season opener against Mercer, completing 8 of 14 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns.[22] He appeared in nine games during the season, completing 19 of 29 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns while adding 45 rushing yards.

Statistics

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Year Team Games Passing Rushing
GPGSRecordCompAttPctYardsAvgTDIntRateAttYardsAvgTD
2018Oklahoma State 00—Redshirted Redshirt
2019Oklahoma State 11107−315524762.82,0658.41611145.41396284.52
2020Oklahoma State 996−315524762.82,0078.1148143.21012692.72
2021Oklahoma State 131311−224339162.12,8397.22012133.91466684.66
2022Oklahoma State 1096−321236857.62,6427.2179128.31073913.78
2023Ole Miss 90—192965.52789.630180.211454.10
Career[23]524130−117841,28261.29,8317.77040137.35042,0014.018

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jump
6 ft 0+7⁄8 in
(1.85 m)		209 lb
(95 kg)		30 in
(0.76 m)		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		6 ft 3+3⁄8 in
(1.91 m)		4.94 s1.79 s2.81 s4.56 s7.18 s24.0 in
(0.61 m)		8 ft 7 in
(2.62 m)
All values from Pro Day[24]

On February 17, 2025, Sanders signed with the DC Defenders of the United Football League.[25] He spent the season as the Defenders' third-string quarterback behind Jordan Ta'amu and Mike DiLiello and did not record any passing statistics, though he did record a 14-yard reception while appearing in two games.

On January 12, 2026, Sanders was selected by the DC Defenders in the 2026 UFL draft.[26] He returned as the Defenders' third-string quarterback behind Ta'amu and DiLiello before being elevated to the primary backup role after DiLiello was traded during the season. Sanders' only appearance through the first seven games came in Week 6 against the Dallas Renegades, when he played wide receiver and recorded three receptions for 13 yards. In Week 8 against the Louisville Kings, Ta'amu suffered an injury in the first half and Sanders entered in relief. He completed 7 of 15 passes for 83 yards and an interception while adding 27 rushing yards in a 33–30 loss.[27]

UFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Passing Rushing Receiving
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTD
2025DC 20—000.000.0000.0000.0011414.00
2026DC 310–1173647.22436.80158.0131027.903134.30
Career510–1173647.22436.80158.0131027.904276.80

References

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  1. ↑ Allen, Robert (August 4, 2019). "Facing adversity has put Brown and Sanders in good position". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  2. ↑ Krueger, Nick (October 1, 2016). "Spencer Sanders commits to Oklahoma State after Cowboys' big win". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Denton Ryan QB Spencer Sanders is named state player of the year by AP". The Dallas Morning News. Associated Press. December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  4. ↑ Cooke, Hunter (December 18, 2017). "Oklahoma State commit Spencer Sanders named Mr. Texas Football". DaytonDailyNews.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  5. ↑ "OSU football: Redshirt year helped create the Spencer Sanders you see now". The Oklahoman. September 7, 2019.
  6. ↑ "With his 'rocket' arm, former Denton Ryan star Spencer Sanders primed for Oklahoma State QB competition". The Dallas Morning News. July 30, 2019.
  7. ↑ Lancaster, Zach (August 30, 2019). "Report: Spencer Sanders to start at Oregon State". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  8. ↑ Bonner II, Frank (September 9, 2019). "OSU football: Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  9. ↑ Buckingham, Dylan (November 4, 2019). "Cowboys Almost Sweep Big 12 Honors For Week 10". KFOR.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  10. ↑ Wright, Scott (November 22, 2019). "Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders to miss rest of season with thumb injury". USAToday.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Sources: Thumb surgery sidelines Oklahoma State's Spencer Sanders". ESPN.com. November 21, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  12. ↑ "2019 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced". KSAL.com. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  13. ↑ "OSU football: Spencer Sanders could return against KU, but injuries on the offensive line will take time". Tulsa World. September 30, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Oklahoma State football: What do coaches want to see from Spencer Sanders in spring?". The Oklahoman. March 27, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Sanders, Oklahoma State beat Miami 37–34 in Cheez-It Bowl". Los Angeles Times. December 29, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  16. ↑ Low, Chris (September 4, 2021). "Spencer Sanders out for Oklahoma State opener; QB in COVID-19 protocols, per sources". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Sanders leads No. 7 Oklahoma State past No. 10 Oklahoma". TSN.ca. Associated Press. November 27, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  18. ↑ Bender, Bill (February 10, 2022). "Big 12 quarterback outlooks for 2022: All eyes on Texas, Oklahoma transfers". Sporting News. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  19. ↑ Emig, Guerin (January 3, 2022). "Spencer Sanders, scrutinized as always, gets his say against Notre Dame". Tulsa World. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  20. ↑ Oklahoma State Cowboys on 247Sports [@OKState247] (December 5, 2022). "𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: #OKState quarterback Spencer Sanders intends to enter the transfer portal, multiple sources tell @247Sports. https://t.co/76LAxhH9eA" (Tweet). Retrieved December 13, 2022 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ Staff, The Grove Report (January 19, 2023). "Oklahoma State Transfer QB Spencer Sanders Commits to Ole Miss". The Grove Report – Sports Illustrated at Ole Miss. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Football Dominates Mercer in Season-Opening Victory, 73-7". Ole Miss Athletics. September 2, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Spencer Sanders College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Spencer Sanders College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  25. ↑ "UFL Communications Department". X.com. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  26. ↑ Paolantonio, Christian. "DC Defenders Retain QB Room, Sign Three Players During Regional College Allocation Process". PFNewsroom.com. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Defenders Drop Second Straight Game Against Louisville, Fail To Lock Up Playoff Berth". WJLA. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
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