Deion Sanders called his shot. And he pulled it off.
Although the Hall of Famer defensive back likely had a higher-profile program in mind when vowing to become a college football coach in 2021, Sanders officially has been introduced as the new head coach at Jackson State University.
His arrival happened in true Deion Sanders style, with a marching band and police officers on motorcycles and a police car and a motorcade.
Sanders will finish the season as a high-school offensive coordinator in Texas before taking the job in the spring. Jackson State postponed its fall season due to the pandemic. It plans to begin playing in February.
“God called me to Jackson State,” Sanders claimed during the first episode of his Barstool Sports podcast. The more likely reality, frankly, is that only Jackson State called Sanders to become a college football head coach.
He tried to make himself into a candidate for the Florida State job earlier this year, cajoling former NFL Network colleagues to report that he was a candidate for the job when in reality he wasn’t. (It nevertheless worked; the ensuing media buzz got people comfortable with the idea of Deion as a college football head coach.)
Sanders, a charismatic and compelling figure with a history of incredible NFL and college performances, could be a great recruiter. Whether he will be an effective teacher, administrator, game manager, decision-maker, etc. remains to be seen; he’s never worked as a head coach or an assistant coach at the college or pro level.
Last month, Deion Sanders made waves by calling out college football players who choose to opt out of the season during the pandemic.
