Deion Sanders reportedly to be named head coach at HBCU Jackson State
By Mike Luciano
Deion Sanders is reportedly going to be the new head coach at Jackson State.
Deion Sanders found the perfect avenue for himself in his post-football career, as he was of the NFL Network’s most routinely entertaining personalities before leaving the network a month ago. Sanders appears to have tired of his life as an analyst, and one of the most high-profile HBCU’s wil reportedly give him the opportunity to scratch the coaching itch he has always wanted to fulfill at the college level.
HBCU Sports is reporting Sanders will finally get his chance to coach at the college level, replacing John Hendrick as the head coach at one-time SWAC power Jackson State.
Jackson State refuted the report from HBCU Sports, but Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger, reports Sanders is indeed the leading candidate, but it is complicated by him being signed with Under Armour and Jackson State is a Nike school.
NEWS: Multiple Jackson State sources tell @SINow the school is finalizing a deal with Deion Sanders to make him their next head coach, despite the university refuting @KennRashad's report.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 17, 2020
A hangup getting smoothed out: Sanders is under contract with Under Armour. JSU is Nike.
Deion Sanders could restore one of the best HBCU programs to glory
Sanders’ playing career is one of the most accomplished and dominant we’ve seen in the last few seconds. He parlayed his stardom at Florida State into eight Pro Bowls and six First-Team All-Pro selections in the NFL, where he became arguably the best pure cornerback in league history.
Jackson State is one of the greatest HBCU programs of all-time, as Hall of Famers like Walter Payton, Jackie Slater, Lem Barney, and Robert Brazile were all Tigers at one point. However, the Tigers have fallen on hard times lately, as they haven’t had a winning season since 2013.
Sanders, who was considered a dark horse for the Florida State job before Mike Norvell won out, has served as a coach at his ill-fated Prime Prep Academy charter school and Trinity Christian-Cedar High School, where his son and FAU commit Shedeur was the starting quarterback. Sanders is a complete wild card when it comes to coaching, but his gravitas and charisma might be enough to give the Tigers an edge in recruiting.
The Sanders experiment at JSU could be either an unprecedented success or a colossal failure, but it will be extremely entertaining no matter what.
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