Ever since Deion Sanders left Jackson State for Colorado in December, there have been many scenarios as to why the Pro Football Hall of Famer decided a move to Boulder was the way to go. From Sanders saying he needed to do it to get his coaches better pay, to rumblings that he and the administration weren’t seeing eye-to-eye, to Colorado being a major upgrade as a Power Five school and having better resources. The university was able to pay Sanders $5 million per season, to be exact.
During an appearance on “The Pivot” podcast Coach Prime went into detail about his departure from the legendary HBCU. While he said the lack of resources played a role, it wasn’t the biggest factor in his decision to depart.
“It was the ideology, the thought process, forward-thinking. It was meeting me at the crossroad. That’s what was involved in that. And sooner or later you have to look in the mirror and say — are they going to get there? And I had to ask those questions and really be honest with them.”
Coach Prime is sounding as if things came to a head with the JSU administration, and for him they couldn’t see past their old ways. From the way Deion explained it, they wouldn’t let him push the envelope any further. That seems to be where the lack of forward-thinking stems from, which caused unwanted friction. In the end, the disconnect helped push him into the arms of a struggling Colorado football program.
Sanders Reflects On Time At JSU
When you come in and do what Coach Prime did in three seasons by going 27-5, winning back-to-back SWAC championships and two Celebration Bowl appearances, those are great memories. And although things may not have ended how most projected, it still was a huge success.
Podcast host Ryan Clark was sure to ask Sanders about all that very thing.
“I’m happy with what we accomplished at Jackson State. I’m happy for the opportunity that was afforded me at Jackson State. I’m happy for the people that assisted me in this journey.”
One of those people is JSU athletics director Ashley Robinson, who allowed him to be himself and do what he needed to do in order to shape the program in his image. Sanders made sure to thank him again.
“For the leeway that he gave me, and he pretty much let me … he allowed me to do my thing.”
That he did, from day one it was Coach Prime’s show, and that was all because of Robinson, who was the one who made the call when no one else thought he could lure Sanders to Mississippi HBCU.
Sanders Sets Record Straight On Travis Hunter
When Coach Prime shook up the recruiting world by getting 2022 No. 1 overall recruit to attend Jackson State, everyone believed it was for anything other than the opportunity to play for the greatest cornerback to ever set foot on the gridiron. Prime said while the HBCU pageantry played a role, he also came to JSU for him.
“Travis didn’t just come for JSU,. Travis came for me,” Sanders said. “And that’s a difference. This has happened historically.”
And if anyone didn’t believe it then, they do now, as Hunter transferred to Colorado to follow Coach Prime.
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