Travis Hunter Touted as Star After Jackson State Loses Deion Sanders' Final Game
Dec 17, 2022
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Deion Sanders of the Jackson State Tigers speaks with members of the press at the Jackson State University team press conference during Cricket Celebration Bowl Media Day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 16, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
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.
At the end of the day I agree. What he said he wanted to do was not in his control from the get go. He stuck 2 the football team from jump instead of changing HBCUs than alot of people would have no problem. All the best to @DeionSanders@JacksonStateU and @CUBuffsFootball
Even in defeat - alongside star players WR/DB Travis Hunter & his son QB Shedeur Sanders, Head Coach Deion Sanders embraces the band & student section of JSU one last time. Going out as professional as he came in! pic.twitter.com/ZyrWEBroXq
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.
"Travis is Travis Hunter. He's him for a reason," Shedeur Sanders said in describing the game-tying TD in regulation "It wasn't really hard. He did all the work."
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.
'Coach Prime' Trailer Drops for Deion Sanders, JSU Football Docuseries by Prime Video
Dec 15, 2022
JACKSON, MS - DECEMBER 3: Coach Deion Sanders overlooks the warm-up of his team before the start of the Jackson State Tigers and Southern University Jaguars SWAC Football Championship game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on December 3, 2022, in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Charles A Smith/Jackson State University via Getty Images)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lee Corso Won't Appear on 'College GameDay' at Jackson State Because of Health Issue
Oct 28, 2022
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 01: ESPN College Gameday analyst Lee Corso looks on during the college football game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Pittsburgh Panthers on September 01, 2022 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Lee Corso will not be present at Saturday's edition of College Gameday because of health concerns.
"LC's dealing with a few little health issues," Davis said. "They're taken of from what I'm told, and we're looking forward to having him back on that set with us and putting on those headgears in no time."
Corso, 87, played college football at Florida State from 1953 to 1957 before embarking on a coaching career that included stops leading Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois. He also spent the 1985 season coaching the USFL's Orlando Renegades.
In 1987, ESPN hired Corso as an analyst for College GameDay. He's been on the show ever since, with 2022 marking his 36th year providing commentary.
Corso missed the Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 editions of College Gameday. Davis reported on Oct. 1 that Corso woke up that morning "feeling a little bit under the weather."
Lee Corso woke up feeling under the weather, but is feeling much better now.
Jackson, Mississippi, will be home for Saturday morning's edition of the show.
The 7-0 Jackson State Tigers, who are ranked ninth in the latest FCS Top 25 poll, will be hosting the Southern Jaguars for the BoomBox Classic at 1 p.m. ET. Former NFL star and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders serves as the head coach for Jackson State.
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.
