With Deion Sanders in office, an inconsequential and outdated show immediately takes center stage. What can the former NFL star pull off?
Deion Sanders will be the next coach at Colorado, the school announced Saturday night, and he makes for one of the most compelling hires in college football this generation.
Deion Sanders comes with just three years of college coaching experience, having gone 27-5 at Jackson State. The Tigers (12-0) completed an undefeated regular season Saturday with a 43-24 rout of Southern for the SWAC championship.
He informed his team of his departure shortly after Saturday’s victory. He is still scheduled to coach Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 against North Carolina Central, sources tell ESPN.
The arrival of Deion Sanders provides a much-needed shot of adrenaline for a Colorado program that has had two winning seasons since 2005 and losing seasons in five of the past six years. Since 2005, Colorado has gone through the forgettable years of Karl Dorrell, Mel Tucker, Mike MacIntyre, Jon Embree, Dan Hawkins, and Gary Barnett.
With the arrival of Sanders, Colorado will become one of the most exciting programs in the country. He immediately becomes one of the most recognizable coaches in the sport, and the sudden attention to Colorado comes at a time when the Pac-12 is on the verge of losing USC and UCLA to the Big Ten in 2024. Suddenly, Colorado It is a program to follow.
Deion Sanders is an iconic American athlete, a member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. He played in the NFL for 14 seasons, winning two Super Bowls and playing for various MLB teams from 1989 to 2001. He brings credibility, charisma and deep ties to the state of Texas, where he was a high school coach for seven years before leaving for Jackson. State.
Sanders is known as “Coach Prime,” and that outsized personality will be needed, as Colorado is a program without an identity that lags far behind in raising funds for its athletes.
“There were a number of impressive, highly-skilled candidates interested in becoming the next head coach in Colorado, but none of them had the pedigree, the knowledge and the ability to connect with student-athletes like Deion Sanders,” said athletic director of Colorado, Rick George in a statement. “Coach Prime will not only energize our fan base, I am confident he will bring our program back to national prominence as he leads a team of high quality and character.”
To bring about change, Deion Sanders will have to overcome the antiquated infrastructure and significant roadblocks that have driven Colorado into irrelevance in college football.
Colorado’s strict transfer policies and lack of infrastructure have been a liability in recent years. Many of Colorado’s top players, including potential first-round cornerback Christian Gonzalez (Oregon), left via the trade portal after last season.
The hiring of Sanders follows a trend that has emerged recently in college basketball, with notable former players like Penny Hardaway (Memphis), Jerry Stackhouse (Vanderbilt) and Juwan Howard (Michigan) gaining high-profile jobs.
Sanders told his team in a meeting posted online after the game that his decision was not about money, “it’s not about amount,” but about the opportunity to create opportunities for African-American coaches.
“I feel like I have to do something about it,” he stressed. “There have been four or more African-American coaches at the next level that have been fired. I haven’t heard of anyone else … other than a candidate like me to replace them. So, to me, that’s an issue that a lot of people don’t know about. But that It’s a problem: if someone doesn’t step up, that’s a problem.”
“My challenge continues to be to bring about change, no matter where I am. I’m 55 years old and I don’t plan to change anytime soon. God made me that way and I think God is pleased with what he created.”
