NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Deion Sanders is leaving Jackson State University to become the new head coach at the University of Colorado. While fans not only at Jackson State are crushed, the entire HBCU community is trying to wrap their heads around it all. But it’s not as bad as it’s being portrayed to be.
Sanders spent 3 seasons as coach of the Tigers and while he complied a 27-5 record with back-to-back SWAC Championships under his belt, Sanders is looking for more. But for HBCUs, his presence stretched well beyond wins and losses.
For years, the question of talent has always been divided by a line in the sand. Can our young African American kids compete with the kids from Alabama, Georgia, USC, and the other big-name programs in Division 1? While Sanders never took the big payout that comes with playing those power schools, he gave JSU, his players, and HBCUs much more. He gave them and us all hope.
While critics will look at the money he’s being paid to change locations, no one wants to mention the lives he changed in just 3 years. Nick Saban is a king in Alabama and has sent his fair share of kids to the NFL. National attention comes with the territory for the more prominent schools. However, a team like JSU was in dire need of a rebuild from the ground up, and Sanders gave them a chance at national recognition.
What this move means is that those same players we were wondering if they could hang with those top-level schools, we will now see. While Sanders could sit in the living room of any elite high school player and try to sell them on JSU over Alabama, he no longer has to do that. He’s now on the same playing field as Saban and Kirby Smart (Georgia). He can promise the kids a chance at a CFB Playoff game. He can promise them good NIL deals. He can promise them national exposure with more televised fans.
What Deion Sanders did for JSU in terms of exposure, he will do the same for UC. Colorado is not an HBCU, but on the football field, they will begin to resemble one. Sanders is flamboyant and outspoken and this will sit well with the diehard Colorado fan base looking for someone to inject life into the program.
The question heading into next season will be which players will follow Sanders? Who knows at this point but with the way players are entering the transfer portal, Sanders could very well field a team ready to make a splash in the Pac-12 in just his first season. Can it get any worse than what the Buffaloes faced this season after going 1-11? They’re desperate for a winner.
Deion Sanders Needs A Bigger Challenge
This is not to take anything away from the talent pool at JSU but Sanders now has access to those elite players he wanted to bring to Jackson State.
Now, for all those saying he turned his back on the HBCU Community, let’s keep it real here. Deion Sanders was never a real part of that community to begin with. He attended Florida State University, not Southern University, Grambling State University, or even JSU. His goal was to build up the program and bring attention to HBCU Football and he did exactly that. He did what he set out to do and now it’s time for the next challenge. He did not turn his back on HBCUs, Jackson State, or even the kids. He’s now giving himself and these kids a better opportunity for success.
He played the game with flash and coached the same way. It was always “Primetime” with him on the field and on the sidelines. He wants these black kids to succeed. He wants them to be given the same chances that players at these power schools receive. But in order to do that, he has to align himself with one.
I may be a bit biased here as I attended an HBCU. But I don’t feel betrayed by what Deion Sanders did. What’s the difference between Chip Kelly going from College to the NFL and then back to College to coach? Sanders’ loyalty was never to a school. His loyalty was to the kids. What he’s providing them is that chance that their parents all want. They want to see ther kids on the biggest stage.
And by no way is this taking shots at the JSU football program or the school. This is about the bigger picture here. This is a time to celebrate another black male who has been a great teacher to so many of our younger kids. This is about a black male getting his shot to go head-to-head with the Iikes of USC, Oregon, Cal, and Utah in the Conference.
The gripe is that Deion Sanders could have been big at JSU if he had stayed. But what if his purpose in life is not to be sandbagged into thinking small? If that was the case, then Prime could have stayed with the Atlanta Falcons instead of taking on the mystic that went with playing for the San Francisco 49ers or the Dallas Cowboys. He didn’t run from Jerry Rice or Michael Irving. Prime wanted the spotlight because he thrived in it. This is why heading to Colorado is huge. We’re looking at this all wrong.
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