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“Hunter Set The Sports World Ablaze”| Deion Sanders’ Prize Recruit Travis Hunter Signs NIL Deal With Black-Owned Coffee Company

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Deion Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers continue to be in the news for all the right reasons. That was no different on Wednesday as five-star recruit and the nation’s No.1 overall recruit Travis Hunter signed an NIL deal with Black-owned coffee company, J5 Caffe. 


Travis Hunter (left) stands with J5 Caffe owner Jabari Edwards (right)
(Photo: J5 Caffe)

This is the first known NIL deal for the talented two-way specimen by way of Collins Hill High School in the Atlanta suburb of Suwanee, Georgia. Following the agreement, J5 Caffe’ which is located in Columbus, Mississippi, had this to say about the new partnership.

“Hunter set the sports world ablaze when he chose to play for (Deion Sanders) and JSU. He possesses unique skills and a mindset that will allow him to be a phenomenal two-way threat for JSU. His uniqueness complements the uniqueness of J5 Caffe and they will both change the game.”

 

Hunter Shook Up The College Football Recruiting World By Choosing JSU:

Hunter, a long-standing commit to Florida State, which happens to be Deion Sanders’ alma mater, flipped to the Tigers on early national signing day in December. The elite five-star cornerback and wide receiver is the highest-ranked player to ever commit to and sign with an HBCU in the history of the composite generated rankings. He’s also the first five-star to sign with a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program. His monumental move could be the linchpin to more top-ranked players in all sports choosing the HBCU route.

 

Hunter choosing an HBCU played a role in him landing this NIL deal. So he actually got rewarded for being an HBCU athlete. Go figure. 

According to the company, “J5 Caffe’s partnership with Hunter was paramount because both express the mission of making a difference in HBCU colleges. But more importantly the Black community. J5 Caffe, is one of many companies owned by parent company J5 Solutions. Like Hunter, J5 Solutions is dedicated to raising awareness and the importance of supporting HBCUs across the nation.”

J5 Caffe’ prides itself on being a pillar in the community while investing in the youth and aiding in building Black wealth.

“As a Black-owned organization, J5 Solutions is committed to building Black wealth, but we can’t have success in the future without investing in our youth of today.”

Rumors Were Hunter Received A $1.5 Million NIL Deal To Sign With JSU: Sanders Dismissed That Notion Right Away

As soon as Hunter flipped to JSU in December, rumors spread like wildfire that Hunter received a huge NIL deal via Barstool Sports, the multi-media outlet that Deion Sanders does his 21st and Prime podcast on. Sanders scoffed at that notion. 

 

 

In an interview with ESPN the day after Hunter’s historic signing, Sanders had this to say:

“We ain’t got no money. A million and a half? I heard a million and a half and I heard Dave Portnoy from Barstool. That’s the biggest lie I ever heard. You know that is? That means we kicked your butt. We took what was ours and now you’ve got to make up an excuse why. Ain’t nobody getting no a million and a half. I wouldn’t pay my son a million and a half NIL. How am I going to coach a guy that’s making more than me?”

The Hunter flipping was definitely unprecedented, but hardly unbelievable. Jackson State went 11-2, winning the SWAC for the first time in 14 seasons.

 

The Polynesian Bowl MVP is set to make a mark in the SWAC and all of college football for the next three to four years.

Sanders says he knew two weeks prior to early signing day that Hunter would flip from, FSU. He said from the day he became head coach in 2020 he has always believed that he and the Tigers could reel in the top recruits, and Hunter is just the beginning.
Hunter had this to say in a statement on Twitter following his surprising announcement:
“I look forward to working with the iconic Deion Sanders, and especially with my fellow Tigers. Along with Coach Prime, they have made me feel like I’m already part of the team. Like I’m home. And I can’t to welcome the next class of top athletes into the family of HBCUs.”
In an interview on “The Dan Le Batard Show,” Coach Prime talked about that huge shift in the paradigm of cutthroat college football recruiting:
“Unbelievable, man. It was unbelievable,” Sanders recalled of Hunter’s signing. “I knew a week, two weeks before, that is was real. It was going to be what it was. But you’re still anticipating that day. You’re praying no one comes in and drops a bag [of cash]. [Laughs].
“I put cornerbacks out there on the block, on the corner, to make sure nobody come down the street and drop a bag. Make sure no one drops a bag; that’s the only dern thing that could get in the way. We did it, man. My staff was wonderful, they did it. Travis is on campus already doing his thing. He wants it, man. That’s the kind of kid that wants it. He’s not settling with being the No.1 kid coming out of high school, he wants to be that guy and live up to those expectations.”
Well, Hunter got the school he wanted AND the bag, which is another indication that the game is changing for HBCUs, and the energy driving that change is coming from Jackson, Mississippi.

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