Jerry Rice Praises Deion Sanders' Coaching Skills At HBCU Jackson State
Pro Football Hall of Fame Deion Sanders' path to becoming a football coach has not been traditional. So, you would not expect him to conduct himself in a traditional way. If you look at his sideline attire, he wears gold chains and sunglasses.
Unlike most of his contemporaries in the coaching space, he’s partnered with companies like Barstool Sports and he able to create his own storylines through his podcast and documentary series. Normally, HBCU head coaches don’t go after top recruits because there was not a real chance of landing them, but with coach Deion Sanders he has no problem recruiting the nations top talent with him landing cornerback/ wide receiver Travis Hunter, who is the number one recruit in the 2022 class, according to Sports Illustrated.
"I’m tired of HBCU’s talking about the way it used to be," Sanders said. "I’m about the way it’s going to be."
"You've seen one recruit," Sanders said. "We wanted him to get all the shine, all the glory, every darn thing he deserves. Don't think we don't have nothing else in the chamber. We're just waiting."
"Jerry Rice, Doug Williams, and of course the legend, JSU's own Walter Payton. Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a rich history in football," Hunter said. "I want to be a part of that history, and more, I want to be a part of that future. I am making this decision so I can light the way for others to follow, make it a little easier for the next player to recognize that HBCUs may be everything you want and more: an exciting college experience, a vital community, and a life-changing place to play football."
In a recent interview with Bally Sports Network’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, Jerry Rice spoke on Deion Sanders coaching at Jackson State.
“I think that he’s doing a fantastic job and that he’s bringing so much recognition and Deion is that type of coach, you know? Prime Time. I remember way back in the day when we beat Jackson State University; we had never beat Jackson State University [laughs] in about 30 years? I remember winning that game and it was like over 100,000 people in that stadium and we were able to get that win,” said Rice.
“So, I think that he’s bringing so much recognition to the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) and what he’s doing at Jackson State is really incredible. And when you think about one of the greatest players ever to come from there; Walter Payton -- Sweetness. Back in the day, EVERYONE wanted to be like Sweetness. I wanted to be like Sweetness! [laughs] but I think he’s doing a fantastic job.”
This past weekend, Jackson State lost 31-10 to South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl behind a stellar performance from South Carolina State’s Shaquan Davis. Davis finished the game with a Celebration Bowl record of three touchdowns and capped it off by using Sanders' signature touchdown celebration ‘Prime Time shuffle.’ Despite the lost to South Carolina State, Jackson State was able to finish with 11 wins for the first time in school history.
