Deion Sanders Reveals When He Knew He Wanted to Be a Coach (Exclusive)

Deion Sanders is enjoying his time as the head coach of the Jackson State Tigers football team. He has led Jackson State to an 11-1 record this season and will play for a Black college football national championship on Saturday when his team faces South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl. But when did Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback, want to be a coach? PopCulture.com recently caught up with Sanders, who talked about how his coaching career got started during his time at Florida State. 

“I think many great players — and I’m not being arrogant whatever — are coaches at their perspective level,” Sanders told PopCulture. “When I was in Florida State, the way I led was somewhat coaching. When I was in the NFL, the way I led was somewhat coaching. So I would take guys to keep them after practice to make sure we worked on some of the necessities of life. I would take guys to teach them how to watch film so they could migrate to yet another level. When I played the game, I would teach them lifestyle. I’d take it over other young men’s finances to make sure they had money soon thereafter they retired. And even when they played and took care of their home responsibility, paid their insurance and paid their car payments. I’ve done some tremendous things.”

Sanders went on to talk about how he worked his way to where he is now. “So I’ve coached youth, I’ve coached 5 and 6-year-olds,” he said. “I’ve coached all the way to high school. I’ve coached on them all American game, I think for 12 years consecutively. So this coaching thing is not new to me, but I promise you it’s true to me. 

“This is who I am, what I am. And this is how I get down. This is where God called me. That’s why I’m so comfortable,” he said. “That’s why I’m so at peace and at joy. And I love what I do. And I do what I love. I haven’t had a day at work yet. This is life for me, man. And I love it.”

Sanders was named SWAC Coach of the Year and also won the Eddie Robinson Award for FCS Coach of the Year. Not only Sanders is an elite coach, but he also knows how to recruit as he recently landed the top recruit in the county, cornerback Travis Hunter who was committed to Florida State. Hunter is the first five-star player to sign with an FCS school.