After leading Jackson State to an undefeated season, Coach Deion Sanders has announced that he will be heading to the University of Colorado in the 2023-2024 NCAA football season. Colorado made the welcoming announcement over the weekend as social media erupted with mixed emotions over Sanders leaving the HBCU program.
A video of the NFL Hall-of-Fame cornerback speaking with his Jackson State football team surfaced on Saturday, with him revealing he will be leaving the university, how coaching works and advising on guidance for players entering the transfer portal.
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Sanders comes with just three years’ experience coaching college football, as he went 27-5 at Jackson State. The Tigers (12-0) completed an undefeated regular season Saturday with a 43-24 blowout of Southern for the SWAC championship.
ESPN says with Sanders’ arrival, Colorado will become one of the most fascinating programs in the country. He immediately becomes one of the most recognizable coaches in the sport, and Colorado’s sudden attention comes at a time when the Pac-12 is on the precipice of losing USC and UCLA to the Big Ten in 2024. Suddenly, Colorado is a buzzy program.
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“There were a number of highly qualified and impressive candidates interested in becoming the next head football coach at Colorado, but none of them had the pedigree, the knowledge and the ability to connect with student-athletes like Deion Sanders,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said in a statement. “Not only will Coach Prime energize our fanbase, I’m confident that he will lead our program back to national prominence while leading a team of high quality and high character.”
“I feel like I have to do something about it,” Sanders said. “There’s been four or more African American coaches at the next level that have been terminated. I haven’t heard not one other … than a candidate like myself to replace them. So to me, that’s a problem that many don’t think about. But that’s a problem, if someone doesn’t step up and step out, that’s a problem.”
