Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders has faced some backlash after leaving Jackson State this winter to take on the job as the Colorado head football coach.

On Tuesday, Sanders said he understood the criticism and where it was coming from.

"I understand because it's love," Sanders told Shannon Sharpe of the Club Shay Shay podcast (3:40 mark). "You fell in love, and I fell in love too. And I felt like we did more than we were expected to do. We just did it so expeditiously that it overwhelmed you and you thought it was easy. Because what would normally take someone several years, we did it in two-and-a-half. That's what was staggering."

Sanders said that when he was hired in Sept. 2020, vice president and director of athletics Ashley Robinson asked Sanders to give him two years. Sanders ultimately spent three seasons at the school, going 27–6 at the school and leading them to back-to-back bowl games.

One of the criticisms Sanders addressed in the interview was why he felt as though he couldn't build up Jackson State into a national powerhouse on par with the Power Five schools.

"Tell me how you build that into a Power Five," Sanders said (10:58 mark). "Because if you go into the Power Five conference, just say the SEC, you know all the other sports have to go too. ... And also, it's criteria that the school has to pass to be in those conferences. And I don't know if that was going to be applicable to what we're trying to accomplish."

At Colorado, he'll be looking to rebuild a program that has had just six winning seasons since the turn of the century. And Sanders said he understood why some of the parting shots from some Jackson State fans weren't kind.

"People are hurt, and when people are hurt, often times their first response isn't the response that should be given," Sanders said. "They say things out of emotion and anger, but I listen. Because when a person says stuff out of emotions and anger, that's how they really feel."

The brief Deion Sanders era has already been profitable for his new school.

According to Doug Greenberg of Front Office Sports, "sales of officially licensed Colorado products are up 700 percent year-over-year since Sanders was first hired on Dec. 3."

In particular, Colorado has been selling T-shirts and sweatshirts with "Coach Prime" written on the front and a copy of Sanders' signature on the back.

Sanders, who led Jackson State to a 27-6 record across his three seasons and two bowl appearances, will be tasked with transforming a football program that has only had one winning season since 2005.

The jury's out on whether Sanders can work his magic for the Buffaloes. But it's very clear that there is major excitement about his hire.

Cornerback Travis Hunter is leaving Jackson State, and it's not a surefire lock that he will follow head coach Deion Sanders to Colorado.

Hunter posted a YouTube video revealing he is in the portal. He said, "I don't know what I'm going to do next" and will "weigh his options" with his family before he makes a decision.

Notably, he also said "I want to follow Coach Prime too, but I need to know if it's a fit for me. If it's not a fit for me, I'm not going. I just want everybody to know that."

Hunter was a 5-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the recruiting class of 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Hunter helped Jackson State go 12-1 this season with its only loss coming to North Carolina Central in Saturday's Celebration Bowl. He finished the campaign with 19 total tackles, eight passes defended, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown while also catching two scores on offense.

Sanders found immediate success at Jackson State and eventually parlayed that into the head coaching job at Colorado, but it still turned heads when he landed the No. 1 overall player in a recruiting cycle.

In fact Alabama head coach Nick Saban created some controversy when he told reporters, "Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school. It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

Saban, who eventually apologized, didn't mention a player by name, but Hunter and his coach responded to the comments:

Now all eyes turn to Hunter as one of the most high-profile departures from Jackson State after Sanders left for Colorado.

Tom VanHaaren of ESPN noted 22 players from Jackson State have entered the transfer portal this offseason. Sanders "made it very clear he would bring some of his former players with him," including quarterback Shedeur, who is the head coach's son.

Sanders also notably said on Instagram (h/t Nick Gray of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger) that Hunter would join him in Colorado "real soon."

That may eventually be the case, but the cornerback is keeping his options open for now.

Deion Sanders' final game at Jackson State didn't go as planned, with the Tigers losing 41-34 in overtime to North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl.

Jackson State tied the game at 34 as time expired on Shedeur Sanders' 19-yard touchdown pass to Travis Hunter on 4th-and-10.

After North Carolina Central scored on the opening possession of overtime, Sanders' pass on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line was incomplete to end the game.

The loss ended Jackson State's quest for a perfect season, but the team still won a program-record 12 games.

Despite the bitter end to his season and his tenure with the Tigers, Deion earned plaudits for what he was able to accomplish in just three seasons as head coach at the program.

Hunter, who is expected to follow Deion and Shedeur to Colorado, continued to show off his Primetime-esque skills. The freshman cornerback caught four passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday.

Deion Sanders was named Colorado's head coach on Dec. 3. The Pro Football Hall of Famer is taking over a program that has been a mess for years.

The Buffaloes finished the 2022 season with a 1-11 record, the worst scoring defense (44.5 points allowed per game) and fifth-worst scoring offense (15.4 points per game) in FBS.

Colorado has just one winning season since 2017 (4-2 in 2020). It hasn't won a postseason bowl game since the 2004 Houston Bowl.

Sanders is certainly capable of engineering a quick turnaround. Jackson State was coming off seven consecutive losing seasons when he was hired in September 2020.

The Tigers went 27-6 overall and won back-to-back SWAC titles with Sanders as head coach.

Travis Hunter, the 2022 5-star cornerback who was recruited by Deion Sanders and joined him at Jackson State, may be sticking with his head coach and making the move to Colorado.

"When is Travis coming? Real soon. I saw (speculation) online the other day," Sanders said during an Instagram chat this week (h/t Nick Gray of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger). "What do you think Travis is going to do? What is wrong with y'all? What is wrong with y'all sometimes? Some of the stuff y'all say puzzles me, puzzles the heck out of me."

Sanders already introduced his son, Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders, as "your quarterback" during his Colorado introductory press conference. So the expectation is the young quarterback will follow his father to Boulder.

"He's going to have to earn it, though, believe that," Sanders added.

The young Sanders would be an upgrade for Colorado after he threw for 3,383 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions ahead of Saturday's Celebration Bowl. He completed 70.2 percent of his passes while also rushing for 174 yards and five scores.

While speaking with the team, Sanders indicated he would bring some players with him from Jackson State.

"We've got a few positions already taken care of because I'm bringing my luggage with me," he said. "I'm coming. It ain't going to be no more of the mess that these wonderful fans, the student body and some of your parents have put up with for probably two decades now. I'm coming. And when I get here, there's going to be change."

The hope in Boulder is that Hunter will be among them. The star freshman dealt with injuries this season but made an impact on both sides of the ball, recording 15 tackles and two interceptions on defense while adding 14 receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns on offense.

There's no doubt that Hunter has electric talent, and his addition would be huge for a Colorado program that has had just one winning season since 2005.

If Sanders is going to transform the Buffaloes into a perennial contender, bringing stars like Hunter to Boulder will be key.

Deion Sanders' final season as head football coach at Jackson State will be the subject of a four-part documentary series on Prime Video from SMAC Productions.

Amazon released the trailer for Coach Prime, along with the announcement the first two parts will be available to stream on Dec. 29.

The series will follow Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers throughout the 2022 season. It will explore how the team and the community banded together over the course of the year, and it will feature a wide range of celebrity guests.

"I am HONORED and ELATED to share this inside look at how our program made HISTORY as JSU's first undefeated regular season football team. This group of young men are SMART, TOUGH, FAST, and DISCIPLINED with CHARACTER, and together, we were able to DOMINATE all season long," said Sanders. "You'll see it all this season—the highs and lows and the way this community came together. This is the most resilient and inspiring group of people I have ever met. I can't say enough about the people of Jackson."

This season marked Sanders' third year with the Tigers program. He built them into an FCS superpower, capped off with a 12-0 record and a SWAC Championship in 2022. It's the first undefeated regular season in school history.

Sanders will conclude his tenure at Jackson State on Dec. 17 against North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl. He accepted the head-coaching position at the University of Colorado on Dec. 3.

Jackson State was Sanders' first stint as a head coach at the collegiate level. He went 27-5 and won back-to-back SWAC titles in 2021 and 2022.

Alabama associate defensive coordinator and safeties coach Charles Kelly will join Colorado head coach Deion Sanders' staff as the Buffaloes' next defensive coordinator, per Brian Howell of BuffZone.

ESPN's Chris Low confirmed the news on the 55-year-old Kelly, who has coached at Alabama for the past four seasons. He notably worked as a defensive coordinator at Florida State under then-head coach Jimbo Fisher from 2014 to 2017. In between, he served as Tennessee's special teams coordinator and safeties coach.

Kelly also served as a defensive coordinator for Jacksonville State, Henderson State, Nicholls State and Georgia Tech throughout his career.

ESPN's Pete Thamel previously reported that Sanders hired Kent State head coach Sean Lewis to be Colorado's offensive coordinator.

Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back and returner who also played professional baseball, just led Jackson State to a 27-5 record over three seasons. The 12-0 Tigers won the SWAC, which gave them their second straight Celebration Bowl berth.

Sanders, Lewis and Kelly have a lot of work to do at Colorado, which has posted its fifth losing season in the past six years capped by an 1-11 mark this year.

Deion Sanders was officially introduced as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes on Sunday, and we now know what the former Jackson State bench boss will earn in his new role.

Sanders agreed to a five-year, $29.5 million deal with Colorado, according to Brian Howell of the Boulder Daily Camera.

Full details:

Sanders coached Jackson State over the last three seasons, amassing a 27-5 record while leading the Tigers into the national spotlight during his tenure.

Jackson State put together its first undefeated season in program history in 2022, finishing 12-0. The Tigers won the SWAC title Saturday with a 43-24 win over the Southern Jaguars and will take on the North Carolina Central Eagles in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17.

During his introductory press conference in Colorado, Sanders expressed his desire to rebuild a Buffaloes squad that finished last in the Pac-12 this year with a 1-11 record.

Sanders said, via Zach Koons of Sports Illustrated:

“Now that I’ve gotten here and I see and I can understand it and I can grasp it, and I can feel it and I can touch it and I can taste it. I truly understand what you want. All you want is an opportunity to win. To compete, to dominate. To be among the elite, to be among the best. And darn it, I’m gonna give you that.

“We’re not here to compete but to win. Not to show up but to show out. Not to be among the rest but to be the absolute best. We’re coming to work, not to play. We’re coming to kill, not to kick it. Baby, I got to believe that we’re coming.”

The Buffaloes fired head coach Karl Dorrell following an 0-5 start to the 2022 season and replaced him with interim head coach Mike Sanford. Dorrell had been the coach at Colorado since 2020.

Sanders will be tasked with leading Colorado to its first winning season since 2016 when his team hits the field in 2023. While that could be a difficult task, the Buffaloes are expected to receive commitments from some top recruits with Sanders aboard.

Colorado already landed a commitment from five-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. on Sunday. Additionally, Sanders hinted at his son, Shedeur Sanders, transferring from Jackson State to Colorado for the 2023 season:

During the 2022 season with the Tigers, Shedeur Sanders completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 3,383 yards and 36 touchdowns against six interceptions, in addition to rushing for 174 yards and five scores.

Sanders spent 14 seasons in the NFL and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He won two Super Bowl titles and the 1994 Defensive Player of the Year award. Additionally, he was a six-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler.

Deion Sanders just took over as head coach at Colorado, and he appears to already have his starting quarterback for the 2023 season.

At his introductory press conference after being named to the position, Sanders indicated his son, Shedeur, will join him in Boulder, Colorado, and suit up for the Buffaloes.

Chris Hummer of 247Sports noted Shedeur Sanders hasn't officially entered the transfer portal, which opens Monday, but that his transfer from Jackson State is considered a foregone conclusion.

Shedeur has thrown for 3,383 yards and 36 touchdowns while running for 174 yards and five touchdowns this season. It's unclear whether he intends to play in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17, which pits Jackson State against North Carolina Central.

His transfer could have a domino effect for Colorado's quarterback situation.

J.T. Shrout, who transferred from Tennessee in 2021, just finished up his first year under center for the Buffaloes. With 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns, he was the team's leading passer.

Sanders' imminent arrival might have Shrout evaluating all of his transfer options.

True freshman Owen McCown already announced his intention to enter the portal, and there's seemingly no chance he'll walk back that decision now. McCown finished with 600 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in his four appearances in 2022.

Sunday's press conference illustrated how Coach Prime intends to hit the ground running.

Colorado, which has five 10-loss seasons since 2006, is a massive rebuilding project. In the era of NIL and the one-time transfer rule, a program can be rejuvenated with just one offseason. And that's what the Buffaloes intend to do with Sanders.

There may not be a program that hits the transfer portal harder than Colorado, and it has a coach who can potentially bring elite talent to Boulder.

At least Sanders can cross off the quarterback position for now.