Deion Sanders is taking his talents to Mississippi. On Sunday, the Hall of Fame cornerback announced on his podcast, 21st and Prime, he will be the new head coach at Jackson State. Sanders will be the 21st head coach in team history, according to the Clarion-Ledger. Jackson State Acting President Thomas Hudson and athletic director Ashley Robinson were also on the podcast for the announcement.
“God called me to Jackson State,” Sanders said on the podcast. Currently, Sanders is the offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian High School in Cedar Hill, Texas. He will finish the season with Trinity Christian before heading to Jackson State and get the team ready for the upcoming season, which will begin on Feb. 21 as they host Edward Waters. When asked why he wanted to coach college football, Sanders had an immediate response.
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“Why not? Isn’t this the time?” Sanders asked. “Isn’t this the moment? Isn’t this what’s needed? To match what our President eloquently said, it’s a match made in heaven. This is a God move.” Before the announcement, there was speculation about Sanders heading to Jackson State but nothing was confirmed. Sanders all but confirmed the news when he posted photos to his Instagram account that shows him at his home with Jackson State officials.
“When they pulled up today, I said ‘you know for me to leave this, it has to be God, right?’” Sanders said. “A lot of people are going to say ‘Why?’ Honestly, man, I’ve been offered pro jobs, just so people know. I could be an assistant at any college, or a head coach at any college, but at such a time as this, God called me to Jackson State, and me to these men.”
Sanders had made it known he wanted to coach college football, according to CBS Sports. He emerged as a candidate to be the head coach at Florida State before hiring Mike Norvell from Memphis. Sanders also talked to Arkansas about becoming the team’s new head coach before the school hired Sam Pittman.
Sanders, 53, played 14 seasons in the NFL and spent the majority of his career with the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys. Along with being a two-time Super Bowl winner, Sanders was an eight-time Pro Bowl a six-time selection to the All-Pro First Team and was named to the 1990s All-Decade Team twice (once for defense and once for special teams). In December, Sanders was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
