One of the NFL’s all-time greats as a player, Deion Sanders won two Super Bowls, was named to six All-Pro teams, and now has a bronze bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There’s no denying the impact ‘Primetime’ had on the game of football not just during the 1990s and early 2000s but also ever since he first made his impact on the silver screen back in 1989.
Now every football fan knows who Sanders is, and many players still idolize the legend for the excellence and swagger that he brought to the gridiron. While he’s been retired from playing pro football since 2005, many would agree the competitive nature has never died down for the historically great cornerback.
Since his retirement, Sanders has never been able to completely separate himself from the game he grew to love. After spending years as an analyst on several networks such as CBS Sports and NFL Network, Sanders founded the Prime Prep Academy in 2012, where he served as head coach of their football team for four seasons. He’s been working his way up the coaching ranks ever since.
Now, after spending the past three seasons at the helm of the Division 1 FCS Jackson State Tigers, who Sanders has managed to coach to a 26-5 record, including a current undefeated 11-0 mark in 2022, he could be looking to take his talent to the FBS level.
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FBS schools set their sights on hiring Deion Sanders as head coach
Not only has Jackson managed to turn around the Jackson State football program, but he also shockingly swayed the nation’s top high school recruit to sign with the HBCU in a move no one saw coming.
But Travis Hunter’s commitment has gone well, considering he was just named the SWAC newcomer of the week after getting a touchdown reception as well as returning an interception to the house for another score, just like Sanders used to do, playing both sides.
If Sanders can persuade the nation’s top recruit to join an FCS-level team, imagine what the charismatic character can bring to an FBS school that has much better access to facilities in addition to a bigger recruiting budget.
That’s exactly what has some schools so interested in hiring Sanders away from Jackson State.
As Carl Reed of 247sports tells it, both Colorado and South Florida have been in discussions with Sanders about taking over their programs as soon as 2023. Meanwhile, another popular vacancy at Auburn has some wondering if the former Dallas Cowboys star would have interest in coaching the Tigers, but no discussions have taken place as the program seems poised to make a different hire.
Both Colorado and South Florida would be a step up from where Sanders currently coaches, but they would be mere stepping stones to a bigger adventure later down the line. Still, it’s not hard to envision other college programs getting involved as well.
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