Jackson State Football

On Wednesday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban told a Birmingham crowd that "Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," ostensibly speaking about the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2022, Travis Hunter. 

On Friday, Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders—who already responded to those remarks in a series of tweets—further commented on the situation. 

"The thing that stung was you feel like there's no connectivity for the culture and for our people that the only way we could do that is we paying,” he said on I Am Athlete Tonight (h/t Mike Rodak of AL.com). 

Sanders continued:

So that's how you feel? So there's no way that I could secure a Power 5-caliber player? ... Like, he chose something less to participate in than what they could offer, and he chose less. Then I started thinking—14 years in the NFL at a certain level don't qualify me? So being in the Hall of Fame don't qualify? So being a father of five—a real there father of five—don't qualify me?

So being an HBCU football coach and winning don't qualify me? Just being a real person and there for my friends, family members, loved ones and whoever else don’t qualify me? I've coached in the NFL, the Under Armour All-American game for I think 14 years straight. Some of the best players in the nation, so that don't qualify me? I've coached high school football for a plethora of years and won four straight state championships and that don't qualify me?

I'm disqualified from a guy that looks like me, talks like me, walks like me and kind of wants to be like me? That's a problem for me.

Saban—who also went after Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M, saying the Aggies "bought every player on their team"—apologized for his remarks and said he reached out to Sanders, though he didn't hear back from him. 

Sanders confirmed on I Am Athlete Tonight that Saban reached out to his people, but told Jean-Jacques Taylor of Andscape on Thursday that he preferred to have a public discussion with the Alabama head coach. 

"We need to talk publicly—not privately. What you said was public. That doesn't require a conversation. Let's talk publicly and let everybody hear the conversation," he said. "You can't do that publicly and call privately."

But Sanders added that he still has a great deal of respect for Saban and described him as the "magna cum laude of college football," suggesting that the Alabama head coach's comments were more a message to his program's donors than anything else.

"Coach Saban wasn't talking to me. Coach Saban wasn't talking to Jimbo Fisher. He was talking to his boosters," he said. "He was talking to his alumni. He was talking to his givers. He was trying to get money. That was what he was doing. He was just using us to get to where he was trying to get to."

Saban, in his apology remarks, said he didn't have issue with name, likeness and image rights for college athletes, but more so what he described as collectives that are funneling money directly to players. 

"I think collectives are the issue," he said. I think one of the solutions would be if you have people that are representatives of your school that give money to a collective, and then the collective turns around and gives it to players on the team... then that collective should become a representative of the institution. And they should not be able to give money to the player, just like an alumnus can't give money to a player."

Jackson State head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has responded to Alabama head coach Nick Saban saying that the school paid Travis Hunter, the No. 1-ranked recruit in the 2022 class, $1 million for him to play for the Tigers.

Sanders told Jean-Jacques Taylor of Andscape:

“I haven’t talked to Coach Saban. I’m sure he’s tried to call. We need to talk publicly — not privately. What you said was public. That doesn’t require a conversation. Let’s talk publicly and let everybody hear the conversation. You can’t do that publicly and call privately. No, no, no. I still love him. I admire him. I respect him. He’s the magna cum laude of college football and that’s what it’s going to be because he’s earned that.

Sanders' comments come after Hunter himself denied being paid $1 million to play for Jackson State in a social media post on Thursday morning. 

I got A mil?😂But my mom still stay in a 3 bed room house with five kids 🤣

— Travis Hunter (@TravisHunterJr) May 19, 2022

Sanders also tweeted that Saban's comments weren't true. 

You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow. I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB ! We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

I don’t even make a million! Lolololol 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/wagxbCJoWs

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

Saban turned heads Wednesday night after saying Texas A&M, which had the top-ranked recruiting class last year, "bought every player on their team" while speaking about how NIL is impacting the college football landscape. 

The 70-year-old also made a comment about the Tigers landing Hunter, who was originally committed to Florida State before flipping his commitment to Jackson State in December 2021. 

"Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," Saban said Wednesday, per Brett Greenberg of the Tuscaloosa News. "It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

There were rumors circulating at the time Hunter committed to Jackson State that Barstool Sports offered him $1 million to play for the Tigers, per Sports Illustrated's Dan Lyons. The speculation arose because Barstool Sports is associated with Sanders through his 21st and Prime podcast.

Sanders denied the rumor during an appearance on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill and Max (h/t TMZ Sports) in December, saying that they didn't pay Hunter to play for Jackson State. 

"We didn't pay," Sanders said. "We ain't got no money! We ain't got no money! A million and a half? I heard a million and a half. And I heard Dave Portnoy over at Barstool—that's the biggest lie I've ever heard."

It's possible Saban only made his comments because a number of schools, such as Texas A&M, are landing top-ranked recruits due to NIL deals, and the changing landscape could make it more difficult for Alabama to land the best players in the country. 

Jackson State cornerback Travis Hunter responded to an apparent allegation from Alabama head coach Nick Saban about the name, image and likeness (NIL) deals he received to choose the FCS program.

I got A mil?😂But my mom still stay in a 3 bed room house with five kids 🤣

— Travis Hunter (@TravisHunterJr) May 19, 2022

Saban discussed the direction of college sports in the NIL era on Wednesday. He made headlines by saying Texas A&M "bought every player on their team," but also made a remark about Jackson State, per Brett Greenberg of the Tuscaloosa News.

"Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," Saban said. "It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

He didn't mention any player by name.

Tigers head coach Deion Sanders described Saban's comment as a "lie":

You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow. I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB ! We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

He later joked about his own salary:

I don’t even make a million! Lolololol 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/wagxbCJoWs

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

In December, Dan Lyons of Sports Illustrated noted there was unconfirmed speculation Barstool Sports, which holds an association with Sanders via his 21st and Prime podcast, offered Hunter over $1 million on an NIL deal.

Khari Thompson of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported no such agreement was in place between Hunter and Barstool, and Sanders also denied the claim at the time.

"We didn't pay," Sanders said on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill and Max (via TMZ Sports). "We ain't got no money! We ain't got no money! A million and a half? I heard a million and a half. And I heard Dave Portnoy over at Barstool—that's the biggest lie I've ever heard."

Hunter was the top-ranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting class based on 247Sports' composite rankings.

The defensive back, who was also a standout wide receiver at Collins Hill High School in Georgia, committed to Florida State in March 2020. He flipped his commitment to Jackson State in December and joined the program for spring ball ahead of the 2022 season.

At the Tigers' spring game in April, Hunter explained his choice of Sanders' program.

"They were just straight with me," he said. "They didn't play no games, they came right at me."

Jackson State has enjoyed a resurgence under Sanders, a former two-sport star in the NFL and MLB. He's guided the program to a 15-5 record across his first two seasons and has attracted high-end recruits like Hunter who've typically chosen Power Five schools.

Jackson State football head coach Deion Sanders heard the accusations from Alabama head coach Nick Saban on Wednesday, and he's firing back.

Saban alleged that Jackson State paid a player $1 million to commit to the program, and Sanders dismissed the notion as untrue. He also revealed that the player Saban was referring to was cornerback Travis Hunter Jr., who is ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the 2022 class by 247Sports' composite.

You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow. I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB ! We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

"Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," Saban said. "It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

It's not the first time that Sanders has faced allegations of using a monetary incentive to land the top player in the country. Upon Hunter's commitment to Jackson State, it was rumored that he had a $1 million deal with Barstool Sports. Sanders denied those rumors and attributed them to jealousy.

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard," Sanders said on a TV appearance with ESPN. "You know what that is? That means we kicked you butt, we took what was ours, and now you've got to make up an excuse why."

Saban has been outspoken about his concerns surrounding NIL deals for collegiate athletes. He revealed that 25 Alabama players combined to make a total of $3 million last season, but he still expressed apprehension with the model going forward.

"The issue and the problem with name, image and likeness, is coaches trying to create an advantage for themselves by going out and saying, 'Ok, how can we use this to our advantage?'" Saban said, going on to insinuate that a coach can be involved in paying recruits under the table.

Hunter's only known NIL deal is with a Black-owned, Mississippi-based coffee company called J5 Caffe.

Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders has an issue with the way college football is trending in the new name, image and likeness era.

"When you start paying athletes like they're professionals, you get athletes acting like they're professionals," Sanders said in a video he directed at the NCAA and posted on Twitter. "And you don't have staffs large enough and equipped enough to handle a young man with money. Let me go deeper. Handle a young man that's making more money than some of the coaches on staff."

⁦@NCAA⁩ YOU HAVE A PROBLEM! I’m trying to help before it blows up in your face. Money Makes You More Of Who You Really Are. Now think about that for a minute. God bless u all. #CoachPrime pic.twitter.com/ZbncNK2PDt

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 11, 2022

He also said smaller programs cannot compete with larger ones when it comes to paying athletes and suggested schools should be allowed to hire more coaches.

"I suggest to you to allow college teams to hire more qualified men," he said. "Qualified. That can handle these young men that's getting this money."

Sanders is not the first coach to raise concerns after the NCAA instituted an interim policy that went into effect on July 1 and allowed athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports shared concerns from a number of coaches and athletic directors, many of whom were in favor of student-athletes having the opportunity to get paid but saw potential issues with boosters, tampering and the amount of money that can be involved.

"Different creates uncertainty, and uncertainty creates doubt," Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self said. "I don't see a lot of positives right now with the [transfer] portal and NIL stuff."

Ohio State football coach Ryan Day said he is "all for players making money off their name, image and likeness" but highlighted "a lot of unrest because we all feel like there's no rules—or the rules that are there are not being enforced."

The NCAA attempted to add more clarity Monday when the Division I Board of Directors released guidelines intended to prevent boosters and booster-led collectives from being involved in recruiting.

While the new guidelines can be retroactive and open up schools to punishments for their actions during the period the interim policy was in place, they are intended to provide more stability in the future.

"The NCAA is reminding people to enforce rules regarding NIL and recruiting, but anything before today likely won't be pursued unless it's really blatant," Chris Vannini of The Athletic wrote.

Despite the guidelines in place, Sanders—who is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion who made $33.6 million in earnings during his NFL career—is worried about student-athletes acting like professionals with the opportunity to make money during their collegiate careers.         

Deion Sanders was at risk of losing his leg because of complications from a foot injury that required surgery. 

In the trailer for his Coach Prime documentary series (starts at :07 mark), a person who appears to be a doctor is seen talking to Sanders and telling him that he could lose his leg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaMU0uCos7k

In an Instagram video he posted on Sept. 22, Sanders is shown speaking with his doctor before surgery about the issues going on with his foot related to an injury from his playing days. 

Dr. Jim Hurt said in the video that Sanders has an "old claw toe, and your second toe is dislocated" in one of his feet. He had surgery that day to alleviate the pain. 

Sanders was hospitalized following complications from the procedure. The Pro Football Hall of Famer announced on Nov. 10 that he had been released from the hospital. 

He was back on the sideline for Jackson State, where he has been the head football coach since September 2020, for the rivalry game against Alcorn State on Nov. 20. 

GAME TIME BABY! The Vet is about to be packed with 60k+ for our rivalry game vs Alcorn State @GoJSUTigersFB pic.twitter.com/4gTarv2vpt

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) November 20, 2021

Sanders missed four Tigers games because of his recovery and complications. Jackson State finished the season 11-2, including a victory over Prairie View A&M in the SWAC Championship Game on Dec. 4. 

That victory marked the Tigers' first conference title since 2007. They lost to South Carolina State 31-10 in the Celebration Bowl. 

The six-episode season of Coach Prime will drop on Feb. 22. 

The Jackson State Tigers added a weapon to their future passing attack Saturday when wide receiver Kevin Coleman joined their 2022 recruiting class.

Coleman made his surprising announcement during the 2022 Army All-American Bowl. He cited Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders as the main reason behind his commitment to the Tigers. The Miami Hurricanes had been considered the heavy favorite to land Coleman entering Saturday.

Kevin Coleman, the number 4 WR in the nation, is going to Jackson State to play for @DeionSanders! #BleedTheeBlue | @AABonNBC pic.twitter.com/hgPGRNJrHE

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 8, 2022

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Coleman, who checks in at 5'11" and 170 pounds, is a 4-star prospect and the No. 44 overall player, No. 4 wide receiver and No. 1 player from the state of Missouri in the class of 2022.

He drew interest from some of the biggest powerhouses in all of college football throughout the recruiting process, underscoring just how much of a difference-maker he can be if he lives up to expectations.

The 247Sports list of interested schools included Miami, Florida State, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State and Texas at one point before he ultimately chose Jackson State.

Allen Trieu of 247Sports projected Coleman as a future first-round NFL draft pick and pointed to Emmanuel Sanders as a player comparison.

He also provided a scouting report for the wide receiver, pointing to Coleman's "sudden" speed and ability to create "a lot of separation with his explosiveness out of his breaks." Coleman is also known for his hands and is someone who can make defenders miss in the open field and turn short passes into long gains.

In 2019 alone, he tallied 76 catches for 1,512 yards and 21 touchdowns, per 247Sports, and brings the potential to develop into a No. 1 receiver during the course of his collegiate career.

If he does that, he will be one of the biggest wins of the entire 2022 recruiting class for Jackson State.

Travis Hunter's commitment to Jackson State took the college football world by surprise. Shedeur Sanders, on the other hand, was convinced well before that that Hunter would join the Tigers.

Sanders, the son of JSU head coach Deion Sanders, told Khari Thompson of the Clarion Ledger a TikTok that Hunter posted in November led him to believe his commitment was in the bag.

"I made my own stuff. I don't do dances," Sanders said of the video. "I'm not a dancer like that. So I was like, 'Hey, man.' He wanted to make a TikTok. So I was like, 'Alright, if I make this TikTok, you're going to commit, right?' And then we made it. So right then and there I knew he was coming to Jackson State."

Some have argued that star high school athletes should join historically Black colleges and universities to help address the inequities that have emerged between HBCUs and other schools.

Perhaps Hunter will be a trend-setter in that regard. The Georgia native was the No. 1 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2022.

His commitment was also a testament to what Deion Sanders is building at Jackson State.

Jackson State linebacker Abdul-Malik McClain, who formerly played for USC, pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of mail fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft in a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times' Ryan Kartje.

According to the indictment, McClain led a scheme with several other college football players to fraudulently claim COVID-19 relief benefits in 2020.

The Dec. 16 indictment says around 36 claims were made in total requesting $900,000 by McClain and his "co-schemers," though only $227,736 was paid out via Bank of America debit cards issued by the California Employment Development Department.

The other players involved in the scheme have not yet been announced or arrested, and it is unclear how many players took part, though McClain's brother Munir McClain was suspended by USC in September 2020 amid a federal probe into EDD fraud. He was not mentioned in the indictment, however.

Abdul-Malik McClain, 22, was at USC at the time of the alleged fraud scheme, though he transferred to Jackson State in November 2020. He was arrested and released on $20,000 bond Monday, with a trial set for Feb. 15.

He is facing up to 20 years in federal prison per each count of mail fraud and a two-year minimum sentence if convicted of either count of aggravated identity theft. The indictment suggests that McClain was the ringleader of the operation.

"According to the indictment, while a member of his university's football team, McClain organized and assisted a group of other football players in filing fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits, including under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program established by Congress in response to the pandemic's economic fallout," a Department of Justice news release read. "The indictment alleges that the claims ... contained false information about the football players' supposed prior employment, pandemic-related job loss, and job-seeking efforts in California."

USC spokeswoman Laura Bartlett released a written statement Monday.

"When the university learned of this matter in September 2020, we notified law enforcement and have been fully cooperating with authorities," it read. "We are unable to provide additional information because this is a pending criminal matter."

A Jackson State spokesperson declined comment, per the Mississippi Clarion Ledger's Khari Thompson, who noted McClain's bio had been removed from the school's athletics website.

Jackson State's historic 2021 season ended on a sour note with a 31-10 loss to South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl on Saturday.

South Carolina State was playing in its first bowl game since 1997. The win is the program's first postseason victory since the 1994 Heritage Bowl against Grambling State.

The Tigers won a school-record 11 games during the regular season and won the Southwestern Athletic Conference title for the first time since 2007.

Head coach Deion Sanders started this week on a high note by flipping cornerback Travis Hunter, the top overall recruit in the 2022 class, from Florida State to Jackson State.

That momentum seemed like it was going to carry over into the Celebration Bowl. Shedeur Sanders hit Keith Corbin III for a seven-yard touchdown catch that helped give the Tigers a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

.@GoJSUTigers strikes first! @theswac Freshman of the Year Shedeur Sanders hits Keith Corbin from 7 yards out #AChampionWillRise pic.twitter.com/wlDq7Qoa4x

— Cricket Celebration Bowl (@CelebrationBowl) December 18, 2021

South Carolina State responded by scoring 24 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to take a 17-point lead.

Sloppy play by Jackson State aided the Bulldogs' scoring run. Their four scoring drives, including three touchdowns, only gained a total of 76 yards. The first touchdown came after Sanders lost the ball after Patrick Godbolt sacked him at his own 8-yard line.

Shaquan Davis scored the first touchdown for South Carolina State and paid homage to Deion Sanders by doing the "Prime Time" dance in the end zone.

Shaquan Davis reels in a TD and then hits THE PRIME! 😮 pic.twitter.com/GjYElBROje

— Cricket Celebration Bowl (@CelebrationBowl) December 18, 2021

Shedeur Sanders, who finished 16-of-36 for 175 yards, had all three Jackson State turnovers in the loss. He threw two interceptions deep in his own territory in the second half that led to 14 points for South Carolina State.

The freshman quarterback entered the game with just four interceptions in 11 games all season.

South Carolina State's defense was dominant in all phases. The unit held the Tigers to 19 yards rushing on 29 carries.

The Jackson State defense did its best given the circumstances the offense put it into. South Carolina State had just 268 total yards and averaged 2.8 yards per rush on 37 carries.

Quarterback Corey Fields Jr. finished 12-of-31 for 166 yards, but he threw four touchdowns.

Despite the bitter end to this season, Sanders has Jackson State trending in the right direction. He won 11 games in just his second season with the program and is getting high-level recruits to come play for him.