Deion Sanders Joining Colorado Causes Recruits to Decommit from Jackson State
Dec 4, 2022
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - DECEMBER 03: Head coach Deion Sanders of the Jackson State Tigers looks on before the game against the Southern University Jaguars in the SWAC Championship at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on December 03, 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Wide receiver Robert Lockhart III, offensive tackle Jordan Hall and defensive back Twan Wilson announced they have decommitted from Jackson State amid news of Deion Sanders taking the head-coaching position at Colorado.
All three players made their announcements on social media:
Sanders closed out an undefeated 2022 season Saturday with a SWAC Championship Game win over Southern and was then almost immediately introduced as Colorado's next coach. The Hall of Fame cornerback went 27-5 over three seasons at Jackson State while bringing national media attention to football at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
The national cache helped Sanders land a number of high-profile recruits who otherwise would have attended FBS powers. 5-star cornerback Travis Hunter committed to Sanders and was dominant in his freshman season at Jackson State. It seems likely Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son, will lead a class of players who will follow Coach Prime from Jackson State to Colorado.
Wide receivers Kevin Coleman Jr. and Quaydarius Davis, defensive lineman KaTron Evans and cornerback De'Jahn Warren are among the other high-profile names currently on the Jackson State roster who could become notable transfers.
Sanders had not locked in a single 4-star or better recruit in his 2023 class, but that will likely soon change as he makes the transition to the Pac-12.
Wide receiver Isiah Kendall and linebackers Kofi Taylor-Barrocks and Jace Ward are the top players remaining in Jackson State's 2023 class at the moment.
Deion Sanders Officially Named Colorado Head Coach After Jackson State's SWAC Title
Dec 4, 2022
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - DECEMBER 03: Head coach Deion Sanders of the Jackson State Tigers looks on before the game against the Southern University Jaguars of the SWAC Championship game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on December 03, 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Deion Sanders is heading to Colorado.
The University of Colorado athletic director Rick George announced Sanders will be the next head football coach for the program.
AD Rick George has named COACH PRIME @DeionSanders to be the 28th full-time head football coach at CU.
Per The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, Sanders told his Jackson State players after their victory over Southern in the SWAC Championship Game on Saturday he was leaving for the new job.
Sanders did say during his address to the Tigers he will "finish what we started," which would seem to indicate he will remain with the team through the Celebration Bowl against North Carolina Central on Dec. 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The move has been rumored for most of the week leading up to Saturday's game. Sanders even confirmed he had been offered the Colorado job on Monday during a teleconference call with reporters.
Sanders also said other programs had contacted him to express their interest, but he declined to name them.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Sanders spent most of this week "making inquiries to both potential members of his on-field staff and support staff at Colorado" about joining him at his new job.
Thamel also noted Sanders placed a call to a "prominent player in the NCAA transfer portal" and encouraged him not to make any decision until Sanders could recruit him to Colorado.
Getting Sanders is a huge boon for a program that has had five head coaches since 2018. Mike MacIntyre was fired after a six-game losing streak after starting the 2018 campaign 5-0. Quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper served as interim head coach for the final game of the year.
Mel Tucker went 5-7 in his lone season at Colorado in 2019 before resigning to take the same position at Michigan State. Karl Dorrell made it through two full seasons before being fired this past October after an 0-5 start.
Mike Sanford replaced Dorrell on an interim basis for the final seven games in 2022. The Buffaloes finished this season 1-11, tied for the worst single-season record in program history.
Colorado has only made two bowl appearances since 2008. It has only played for a Pac-12 title once since moving to the conference in 2011.
Sanders is wrapping up a successful three-season run at Jackson State University. He was hired by the program in September 2020 and has led it to a 27-5 record with back-to-back SWAC championships.
The Tigers' 12 wins this season broke the previous record of 11, set in 2021 (11-2). They can complete the first perfect season in program history with a win in the Celebration Bowl.
Deion Sanders, Jackson State Win 2nd Straight SWAC Title amid HC's Rumored Exit
Dec 4, 2022
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - DECEMBER 03: Head coach Deion Sanders of the Jackson State Tigers looks on before the game against the Southern University Jaguars of the SWAC Championship game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on December 03, 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
If Deion Sanders is nearing the end of his tenure as head coach at Jackson State, he went out on a high note.
The Tigers defeated Southern 43-24 to win their second consecutive SWAC Championship title.
Saturday's victory comes amid rumors that Sanders is on the verge of accepting the head-coaching job at the University of Colorado.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Sanders "has been preparing to make an exit" from Jackson State for Colorado and he's spent most of this week "making inquiries to both potential members of his on-field staff and support staff at Colorado" about possibly joining him.
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg added a formal announcement from the University of Colorado about its next head football coach is expected to come on Saturday night or early Sunday.
Update here as #Colorado expected to announce its next coach late tonight or early Sunday, according to sources. The board meeting is a placeholder for now and would only take place if all details are worked out for Sanders’ contract and it’s ready for formal approval. https://t.co/05kUJHTtAt
Sanders confirmed to reporters on a teleconference call earlier this week that he has been offered the Colorado job and has received interest from other programs.
Per Justin Adams of CBS News Colorado, the Buffaloes have offered Sanders a starting salary of $5 million per year and "a bevy of incentives that if reached, could significantly elevate his annual salary."
The Buffaloes have been in the market for a new head coach since they fired Karl Dorrell on Oct. 2. The move came amid an 0-5 start for the team this season and an 8-15 mark under Dorrell since 2020.
Colorado has been a struggling program for years before bottoming out in 2022. It hasn't had a winning record in a full season since 2016. It did go 4-2 during the 2020 campaign that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team's 1-11 mark this season is tied for the worst in program history (2012).
Ten of the 11 losses were by at least 23 points, with each of its final four games decided by at least 38 points. The Buffaloes have only been to two bowl games since 2008.
Sanders is in his third season at Jackson State. The Pro Football Hall of Famer took over a program that had a combined 21-40 record from 2014-20 under three different head coaches.
The Tigers got off to a modest start under Sanders with a 4-3 record in 2020. After he had a full season to coach the current roster and bring in recruits who fit his system, they took off with a program-record 11 wins and their first conference title since 2007.
Jackson State has been even better in 2022 with Saturday's win capping off a perfect 12-0 regular season. The SWAC champions will take on North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17.
Deion Sanders Denies He'll Make Decision on Colorado, Cincinnati, USF Jobs by Sunday
Nov 30, 2022
JACKSON, MS - OCTOBER 29: JSU head football coach Deion Prime Sanders talks with ESPN commentators during the pre-game show prior to the start of the Jackson State Tigers and Southern University Jaguars NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Aron Smith/Jackson State University via Getty Images)
Deion Sanders may remain with Jackson State past Sunday after all.
While Kevin O'Donnell of Fox 13 Tampa Bay reported Sanders has told recruits he will decide between coaching vacancies at Colorado, Cincinnati and USF by Sunday, Carl Reed of 247Sports reported the Pro Football Hall of Famer said "this is not true" during a phone conversation.
Jackson State hired Sanders ahead of the 2020 season, and it didn't take him long to build a powerhouse at the historically Black university program.
The Tigers went 4-3 during his first season, which was shortened and moved to the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They then went 11-2 in his second season with the only losses coming by five points to UL Monroe and in the Celebration Bowl to South Carolina State.
Sanders' team has taken another step this year and is 11-0 ahead of Saturday's SWAC Championship Game against the Southern Jaguars.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is the son of the head coach, has completed 70.3 percent of his passes for 3,063 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 158 yards and five scores on the ground.
Given the quick turnaround at Jackson State and Sanders' status as a Hall of Famer who is instantly recognizable on the recruiting trail with a proven track record as a head coach, it comes as no surprise he would be an attractive hire to programs such as Colorado, Cincinnati and USF.
Colorado and Cincinnati in particular would give him the opportunity to compete for College Football Playoff spots down the line, especially if it expands from four teams to 12. Colorado is in the Pac-12, and Cincinnati is set to join the Big 12.
There would also be less of a rebuilding process ahead with the Bearcats, who were just in the CFP last season and went 9-3 this season. The job is available because Luke Fickell took the Wisconsin coaching spot, but landing Sanders would be a major hire for the program looking to take another step as it joins a Power Five conference.
The Buffaloes, on the other hand, were an ugly 1-11 this season and have finished with more than five wins just once since the 2007 campaign.
But it seems like Sanders leaving for one of those openings isn't an inevitability at this point given his latest comments.
Jerry Jones: Cowboys' Odell Beckham Jr. Interest Reminds Me of Deion Sanders Pursuit
Nov 11, 2022
Odell Beckham Jr.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is
happy the team's players are pushing free-agent wide receiver Odell
Beckham Jr. to join the organization.
Jones told a story Friday on 105.3 The
Fan about the Cowboys' free-agent pursuit of Hall of Fame cornerback
Deion Sanders in 1995:
Jerry Jones on @1053thefan on Cowboys players saying they want Odell Beckham Jr: “I love it, that they have that kind of perspective.”
He said it reminds him of when he talked to Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin about signing Deion Sanders. “They said, ‘Jerry, get him!’”
Several Dallas players have talked
about the potential of adding Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowl
selection who's nearing the end of his recovery from a torn ACL
suffered in February's Super Bowl, for the stretch run of the regular
season.
QB Dak Prescott said: "Anytime you have a chance to add a talent like that and knowing Odell and knowing his resume, it's exciting. But also understand it's a business, and I’m sure there's 31 other teams that would like to add him as well."
RB Ezekiel Elliott said: "We want him. We want OBJ."
WR CeeDee Lamb said: "That's my boy. I'm a fan of Odell. Why wouldn't you want to add more firepower to the offense?"
LB Micah Parsons said: "S--t we can use him. I think he's a great player. He'll expand this offense. He's a guy you want on the team beside all the other critics stuff that people make up and s--t about him. He can add real value to the team and help us do what we want to do."
Jones didn't rule out the potential of
signing Beckham during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday.
"Odell is someone that we have all
the appreciation in the world for what he is as a competitor,"
Jones said. "I know the Cowboys star on that helmet, when he
puts it on, could look pretty good."
Dallas' passing game could use a boost
with Michael Gallup making a limited impact following his return from
a torn ACL and James Washington yet to play this season because of a
foot injury.
Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported Sunday
that Beckham would be medically cleared this week and is likely to
sign with a Super Bowl contender.
The Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City
Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are the teams most frequently linked
to the 30-year-old LSU product. A possible return to the New York
Giants, where he played from 2014 through 2018, has also been
mentioned.
Even if he signs in the coming days,
it'll likely take a couple weeks of conditioning before OBJ is ready
to make his season debut. The hope would be gradually getting him
involved so he's back up to full speed in time for the playoffs.
As the free-agent pursuit continues,
Dallas (6-2) will look to continue its winning ways Sunday when it
travels to Lambeau Field to face off with the Green Bay Packers
(3-6).
Deion Sanders Calls Report of Flight to Atlanta amid Auburn HC Rumors a 'Lie'
Nov 3, 2022
JACKSON, MS - OCTOBER 22: Deion Coach Prime Sander surveys the field of play during the Jackson State Tigers and Campbell Fighting Camels NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on October 21, 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Charles A. Smith/Jackson State University via Getty Images)
Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders denied speculation Thursday that he is taking a flight to Atlanta to discuss the head coaching vacancy at Auburn.
Sanders responded Thursday to a tweet that said he was flying to Atlanta, calling it a "lie":
Sanders, a Pro Football and College Football Hall of Fame cornerback, has enjoyed great success in three seasons as the head coach at Jackson State, including an 8-0 record this season. That has sparked talk that he could be a target for Auburn following the firing of Bryan Harsin on Monday.
After leading Jackson State to an 11-2 record last season and guiding them to a sizzling record in 2022, Sanders has fielded many questions about making the leap to Auburn or another team in a Power Five conference.
He said on ESPN's College GameDay last weekend that he would entertain offers (h/t Mark Heim of AL.com).
Sanders expressed thankfulness this week for being on the Power Five radar as a coach at a historically Black college or university (HBCU) but said nothing to suggest he is thinking of leaving his current situation:
"That's a blessing — that's truly a blessing. Sorry to interrupt, but I've got to get these points out. I don't think too many African-American coaches from the HBCU has ever been attached to anything concerning the Power Five, so that's truly a blessing.
"We love to do things that hadn't been done around here in Jackson State, and this is another prevalent thing that hadn't been done that we're doing."
Before Sanders' arrival at JSU, the Tigers had finished .500 or worse in six consecutive seasons, but he has already ensured a third straight winning season under his leadership.
He has also helped put HBCU football back on the map nationally thanks to his celebrity, Jackson State's success and his ability as a recruiter.
Despite being an FCS program, Jackson State secured the No. 58 recruiting class in the nation in 2021, per 247Sports.
Along with landing his son Shedeur Sanders from the 2021 class to start at quarterback, Coach Prime reeled in cornerback Travis Hunter in the 2022 class, ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit by 247Sports.
That level of recruiting excellence would be huge for an Auburn program that has not won double-digit games since 2017, finished 6-7 last season and is 3-5 this season.
If given the resources of a major college football program like Auburn, Sanders would likely have a strong chance to consistently bring in some of the top recruiting classes in the country.
A Power Five coaching job may be in his future, but his tweet Thursday suggests he is not imminently looking to jump ship from one Tigers football team to another.
Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin Says Deion Sanders Would 'Do Great' as Auburn HC
Nov 2, 2022
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 22: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels reacts against the LSU Tigers during a game at Tiger Stadium on October 22, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin offered his endorsement of Jackson State's Deion Sanders with Auburn looking to replace the recently fired Bryan Harsin.
Kiffin told reporters Wednesday he believes Sanders would "do great" with the Tigers:
I think that's a great name and they should hire him. Great recruiter, great name. This is a different world we're in now. Recruiting has always been important, but now you have the portal, so you have kids...you can change a roster faster than you ever could before, and you can lose a roster faster than you ever could before. The ability to hire, like Deion, and have that name right away and portal people wanting to come play for him right away, you can flip a roster where before, realistically, it would take two to three years to truly turn a roster around. You can do it immediately.
It seems inevitable Sanders will leave Jackson State to take a Power Five job. He told 60 Minutes' Jon Wertheim in October he'd at least listen if the opportunity presented itself:
"What happens when a Power 5 school says: Give us a number — we'll make it work?'"@DeionSanders: "I'm gonna have to entertain it."
The Athletic's Bruce Feldman listed Sanders as a candidate to succeed Harsin but added, "We’ve heard mixed reactions on whether Auburn brass would be comfortable with Sanders taking over."
The Hall of Fame cornerback has answered his skeptics at every step.
He has attracted a higher level of talent to JSU than the program typically gets. In the case of 5-star cornerback and No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter, he took his alma mater, Florida State, head on.
Sanders is delivering on the field as well. Jackson State went 4-3 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before it won 11 games in 2021. It sits at 8-0 in 2022.
As Kiffin laid out, Sanders has the personality and charisma to go toe-to-toe with Alabama's Nick Saban, Georgia's Kirby Smart, Clemson's Dabo Swinney and the rest of the competition on the recruiting trail.
And while talent accumulation isn't a guarantee of success—just look at Texas A&M—it goes a long way toward winning in the SEC.
Hiring a coach from an FCS program would obviously present a level of risk for Auburn. Sanders, meanwhile, may prefer his first Power Five gig be one with a better track record of stability.
But this is a partnership the sides should consider, even if the discussions come to nothing.
Jackson State's Deion Sanders Has 'No Plans to Move or Go Anywhere' amid FBS Interest
Oct 29, 2022
JACKSON, MS - OCTOBER 22: Deion Coach Prime Sander surveys the field of play during the Jackson State Tigers and Campbell Fighting Camels NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on October 21, 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Charles A. Smith/Jackson State University via Getty Images)
Jackson State football head coach Deion Sanders has had multiple opportunities to jump to an FBS school, but Saturday he made it clear he's happy where he is.
During an appearance on College GameDay, Sanders acknowledged that he has been pursued by other schools, but he said he has no intentions of leaving Jackson State.
"I'd be a fool and a liar to tell you I'm not going to entertain those things, because I am," Sanders said. "But I have made no plans to move or go anywhere."
According to 247Sports' Chris Hummer, Sanders was "deeply involved" in the TCU job opening last year before Sonny Dykes was hired to replace Gary Patterson. Hummer noted that Sanders is expected to be "in the mix for several FBS jobs this cycle, too."
This isn't the first time Coach Prime has discussed his openness to job offers. During an appearance on 60 Minutes this month, he was asked how he'd respond to being approached by Power Five schools, and he said: "I'm going to have to entertain it. Straight up. I'd be a fool not to."
In his third year as Jackson State head coach, Sanders has led the Tigers to a 7-0 record entering Saturday's game against Southern (5-2). Last season, the team went 11-2 overall and 9-0 in the SWAC to win its first conference title since 2007. Sanders was named the recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award, which is given to the top FCS coach in the nation.
Sanders has also established himself as a master recruiter, most notably flipping Class of 2022 No. 1 prospect Travis Hunter from his commitment to Florida State to instead sign with the Tigers. Hunter is the first 5-star recruit to sign with an FCS program, per Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
During his time at Jackson State, Sanders has brought more attention to HBCU football programs as a whole. It will be interesting to see if an opportunity arises that entices him to try his hand at coaching at the FBS level.
ESPN College Gameday 2022: TV Schedule and Predictions for Week 9 Location
Oct 28, 2022
JACKSON, MS - OCTOBER 22: Deion Coach Prime Sander surveys the field of play during the Jackson State Tigers and Campbell Fighting Camels NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on October 21, 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Charles A. Smith/Jackson State University via Getty Images)
ESPN's College GameDay will have a prime-time feel on Saturday morning when the show heads to Jackson State, where head coach Deion Sanders is looking to lead the Tigers to an 8-0 start to the 2022 season.
Jackson State is set for a rivalry matchup against Southern on Saturday, and College GameDay is making a rare visit to an FCS campus to be there for it. It's the first time the show, which airs live on Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN, will be held at the university in Mississippi.
It will also be the first time it has taken place at the site of an FCS game since Aug. 28, 2021, when it aired in Atlanta ahead of a game between North Carolina Central and Alcorn State.
Before further breaking down the Southern-Jackson State matchup, here's the schedule for ranked teams in Week 9, along with predictions for each game.
Week 9 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions
Saturday, Oct. 29
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 13 Penn State, noon ET, Fox
No. 7 TCU at West Virginia, noon ET, ESPN
Notre Dame at No. 16 Syracuse, noon ET, ABC
Florida vs. No. 1 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
No. 8 Oregon at California, 3:30 p.m. ET, FS1
No. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 22 Kansas State, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
No. 10 Wake Forest at Louisville, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network
No. 17 Illinois at Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 20 Cincinnati at UCF, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Missouri at No. 25 South Carolina, 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network
No. 10 USC at Arizona, 6 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
No. 19 Kentucky at No. 3 Tennessee, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Michigan State at No. 4 Michigan, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 15 Ole Miss at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Pittsburgh at No. 21 North Carolina, 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network
Stanford at No. 12 UCLA, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Picks in bold.
Southern-Jackson State Preview, Prediction
It hasn't taken long for Sanders to turn Jackson State into a powerhouse team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. And the Tigers are only getting better in his third year at the helm.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season (which was played in the spring of 2021), Jackson State went 4-3. It built off that performance by going 11-2 in the 2021 season, which ended with a loss to South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl.
However, the Tigers didn't lose any SWAC games last season, going 9-0 in conference play. They're now off to a 5-0 start in conference action this year, as they've been rolling during their seven-game overall winning streak to open the season.
Jackson State's offense is the best in the SWAC, as it leads the conference in points (40.9) and total yards (495.3) per game. The unit is led by sophomore quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son, who has thrown for 2,218 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Tigers also have the best defense in the SWAC, as they lead the conference in points allowed (10.1) and total yards allowed (190.3) per game. So they're getting it done on both sides of the football.
However, Southern has both the No. 2 offense and the No. 2 defense in the conference. So, if there's any SWAC team capable of taking down Jackson State, it's likely the Jaguars, which are 5-2 this season.
One of those losses came against an FBS opponent, as it lost 65-17 at LSU on Sept. 10. But the following week, the Jaguars dropped their conference opener, when they were beaten 24-0 by Texas Southern.
Since then, Southern has reeled off four straight wins, three of which have come against SWAC opponents.
For much of the past decade, this rivalry series had gone Southern's way, as it had an eight-game winning streak against Jackson State from 2013-21. But the Tigers snapped that skid last year, when they beat the Jaguars 21-17 on the road.
This year, there should be an even more electric atmosphere for this marquee SWAC matchup.
"I just hope we, as a city and as a school, understand the magnitude of what’s about to transpire," Coach Sanders told reporters. "I hope we do our homework as a city and come out and support College GameDay, support what it is and then some. We need to put on for our city for real. Southern needs to be a big part of this as well."
It should be a competitive game, but Jackson State can't be stopped right now. Expect the Tigers to outlast the Jaguars and notch their most impressive win yet in their quest for an undefeated season.
The Jackson State program is loaded with talent, and that will be apparent when it beats Southern again.
Prediction: Jackson State 27, Southern 18
JSU's Deion Sanders Addresses 'Unbelievable' Water Crisis in Jackson, Mississippi
Sep 29, 2022
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI SEPTEMBER 17: Coach Deion Prime Sanders warms up his team before the start of the first home game of the season against conference rival Grambling State University. (Aron Smith/Jackson State University via Getty Images)
Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders discussed the ongoing water crisis within Jackson, Mississippi on USA Today'sSports Seriously on Thursday:
I'm elated to be a part of them and in this fight with them just for equality. When you just sit there and think about Jackson is the darn state's capital and we dealing with this issue. We dealing with raggedy streets and I mean unpaid situations and, even at HBCU level would or overlooked and underserved it, it's unbelievable.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared the water crisis to be a federal emergency last month, while the Environmental Protection Agency said there have been 300 boil-water notices over the past two years, as well as multiple line breaks.
Jackson's residents are 80 percent Black, and 25 percent of its citizens are in poverty, per Michael Goldberg of the Associated Press.
Sanders praised those in Jackson for their resilience, while noting the value his football team can have for the city.
"We give them hope. We give them an escape every darn weekend, and usually that weekend comes out victorious and they even more elated and forget about the nuances and the nonsense of that's happening in Jackson with the state and the government," Sanders said.
Sanders was a Hall of Fame cornerback during his playing career, but he has been plenty successful since becoming a coach.
The 55-year-old is in his third season at Jackson State, having led the Tigers to an 11-2 record and 9-0 conference mark in 2021. The team is 4-0 to begin the 2022 season after a 49-7 blowout win over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday.
