Deion Sanders is one of the most widely known personalities in the history of the National Football League, and arguably the most talented defensive back in the history of the game.
But Sanders, whether fair or not, was always viewed as a guy who dominated mostly on guile and sheer natural talent as opposed to football IQ and technique, an assertion that many people would take issue with after listening to him as an analyst.
Now, after several low-key coaching stops at various levels of football, and even one stint as an assistant coach for the Dallas Fury, a women’s professional basketball team, Sanders is expected to finalize a deal soon that will truly move the needle on the Richter Scale as only he can, reportedly agreeing to a deal to become the head coach at a Division I school.
“Prime Time” Named Head Man at D-I Jackson State
According to a report from Sports Illustrated, the former Dallas Cowboys legend is finalizing a deal with the Jackson State University Tigers to become the team’s next head coach.
Sanders had previously been ruled out as a potential candidate, but he is now on his way to landing the job, according to various reports across sports media.
There are still several different contractual details to sort out, SI reported, including what to do about Sanders currently being under contract with the Under Armour apparel company while Jackson State is a Nike school.
Sanders has no coaching experience at the professional or college level, which should make this experiment all the more interesting.
Sanders is a household name who has been in the broadcasting business for years as an on-air analyst and personality, and has been around fellow legends with the NFL Network, which he will now be leaving in order to take the Jackson State job.
Can Sanders Turn Around the Hapless Jackson State Tigers?
In 2019, the Tigers went 4-8 overall, with a 3-4 record in the Southwest Athletic Conference.
Their opponents included Jerry Rice’s alma mater, Mississippi Valley State, Bethune-Cookman, and Prairie View A&M University, one of the country’s worst teams historically speaking.
The Tigers won their game against Prairie View by a score of 38-35 in two overtimes.
The SWAC previously suspended its fall football season, meaning that Sanders will likely have until the conference’s make-up season in the spring to hire assistant coaches, run practices, and familiarize himself with his new team.
Deion’s hiring constitutes a fascinating football experiment that could suddenly become must-see TV this spring with Sanders at the helm.
