Former TV pundit and Hall-of-Fame cornerback Deion Sanders has been head coach at the rather tranquil Jackson State college since 2020 and recently caused a major earthquake there. SPOX explains what it is all about and what the much-cited NIL deals have to do with it.
December 15, 2021 will be remembered for a long time in the college football world. It was the “Early Signing Day”. The earliest date current high school players can send their so-called “Letter of Intent” to the college of their choice, thereby officially binding the player to the respective school.
On that day, Deion Sanders dropped a bombshell that would have a lasting impact on college football. Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Jackson State head coach Sanders shocked everyone by signing the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Travis Hunter. Never before has an FCS team or HBCU (Historic Black College and University) secured the #1 recruit. And this story is remarkable on several levels.
We have to start with Hall-of-Famer Deion “Primetime” Sanders himself, how he ended up and where he didn’t at Jackson State. A longtime TV pundit, Sanders was a well-known and very popular face on the NFL Network. At the same time, he coached his sons in high school in Texas, and when they entered college, Sanders wanted to break into college as a coach.
His first address was his alma mater Florida State. The Seminoles had faded into obscurity after the departure of champion coach Jimbo Fisher and had just dumped Fisher’s replacement Willie Taggert. Sanders offered his help but only wanted to come as head coach.
Deion Sanders: Florida State passes over former star
Florida States decision-makers and financiers didn’t take his offer seriously, doubting the seriousness of the loud, easy-going TV analyst, who didn’t have a reputation as a workhorse even as a player, and of course his coaching experience.
Florida State chose Mike Norvell, then-Memphis head coach, who had just led the team to a 12-1 season. Sanders later accepted the job at Jackson State.
But even with Norvell, success did not come back to the three-time champion. In 2021, the team even lost in their own stadium in the last second against FCS team Jacksonville State – not to be confused with Jackson State!
Both years under Norvell did not qualify for a bowl game (6 wins are required for that), Norvell’s record in two years: 8-13. The Seminoles’ environment, however, remained reasonably relaxed. After all, rival Miami was finally beaten again and everything should be better from next season. Because top recruit Travis Hunter – a huge Florida State fan since childhood and especially of Deion Sanders – was “committed” and didn’t let a top team like Georgia or Alabama change his mind.
For recruiting analysts, Hunter is perhaps the best non-QB prospect in history. No matter which college – whether Alabama, Georgia or anyway Florida State – he would step on the field today, he would be an instant starter as a cornerback or as a wide receiver, whichever he felt like doing more. It probably would have been best for Florida State to play offense and defense parallel. Hunter is an absolute freak. He was Florida States entire hope for a return to the top.
Deion Sanders breaks Florida State’s heart
But of all people, Deion Sanders – Hunter’s great idol and perhaps FSU’s best player ever – broke Florida State’s heart. And that in public, on the big Signing Day.
The anger in Tallahassee knew no bounds. The Noles fans were split straight into two camps. Some burned their Sanders jerseys, everyone else immediately demanded Norvell’s dismissal and wanted to sign Deion directly. The media celebrated Sanders for his coup while simultaneously crushing Florida State.
Although Norvell and Co. have landed a respectable recruiting class – many only came to Florida State because Hunter wanted to come too – it is likely to be a tough offseason. They will have to rely heavily on transfers – which has been proven in recent years with defensive ends Jermaine Johnson and Keir Thomas – because wins are needed in the coming year. Without seven to eight wins, Mike Norvell’s time at Florida State is likely to be over.
It is unlikely that Sanders will then offer his help to FSU again. At Jackson State, he built a program entirely to his liking. Above all, he brought a lot of attention, from which all HBCUs benefit. For several years there have been repeated attempts to push the HBCUs.
Hunter’s signing was perhaps the biggest push. Hunter himself wrote on Instagram that one of the main reasons he came to Jackson State was to continue writing HBCU history. HBCUs have spawned a number of Hall of Famers, and Hunter wants to continue that tradition.
Deion Sanders lures another top recruit to Jackson State
After all, the HBCUs play in front of more than 60,000 fans, even if the sporting level is not the highest. But for this level you need players like Hunter. Deion Sanders and the other HBCUs are now hoping that Hunter will attract more top recruits and thus raise the sporting level of the next generations, so that all HBCUs will benefit.
In the meantime, this hope has already been fulfilled with the commitment of another top talent in the country. Wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. also opted for Jackson State in early January and thus against Miami – and Florida State.
But perhaps more importantly, Hunter’s way of shocking the college world is a supposedly very lucrative NIL deal that Sanders brokered for Hunter with Barstool Sports target.
This is said to be worth several million dollars and significantly more than anything Florida State, which is not financially at the highest CFB level anyway, had to offer. However, all sides deny that such a deal exists.
Sanders himself said: “That’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard.” He continued: “You know what that is? It means we kicked their ass. We took what was ours and now they have to make up an excuse for it. No one got a million and a half dollars. I wouldn’t even pay my son a million and a half.”
College Football: Money now officially rules the world
However, if you look at this Singing Day as a whole, you could clearly see which teams are up there with the NIL and which are not. Texas, for example, announced that each O-Liner would collect a flat $50,000 as part of a NIL deal – never before had Texas even remotely signed such a strong O-Line group.
Money rules the world, now officially in college football. It always has, only now it’s legal and that means even more money is flowing. Teams like Florida State, which are not yet taking the NIL too seriously, should catch up quickly. And teams in the big markets like USC or Miami have a huge advantage. It is no coincidence that these two teams have each completed massive coaching upgrades, which came with an immense financial commitment.
“Primetime” Sanders shocked college football. He brutally got back at his alma mater, who didn’t take him seriously. HBCUs will now hopefully benefit from the hype surrounding Hunter. And it’s likely that colleges that haven’t gotten involved in the NIL game from the start are in danger of falling behind in college football.
Deion Sanders: Coaching Record at Jackson State
| Season | balance sheet | Conference Balance Sheet | Placement East Division | Bowl Game |
| 2020 | 4-3 | 3-2 | 2. | – |
| 2021 | 11-2 | 9-0 | 1. | Celebration Bowl (defeat) |
| in total | 15-5 | 12-2 |