Sears spent three years as the co-defensive coordinator for the Washington State Cougars. After head coach Paul Wulff was fired in late 2011, new Washington State head coach Mike Leach did not keep any of the Wulff staff.
On April 2, 2012, Sears joined new head coach John L. Smith as the defensive coordinator at Weber State University. A few weeks later, when Smith stepped down to become the head coach at the University of Arkansas, Sears was asked to become the interim head coach.[1][2]
During his two seasons as a head coach of Weber State, he compiled a record of 4–19 losses before being relieved of his duties.[3]
In 2014, he was named head coach at California State University, Sacramento. In five years, he compiled an 20–35 record with two winning seasons. Their record in 2017 tied them for third in the Big Sky Conference standings, their best conference finish since 2010.