Deion Sanders has done some amazing things in his first 18 months as head coach of the Jackson State Tigers. But none of what he’s done would be possible without the recruiting pitch and style that he’s unleashed on the college football world.
One season after landing the nation’s 55th-ranked class and highest in the history of HBCU and FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) football, Sanders went back at it and changed football recruiting forever, when he flipped the nation’s top-ranked recruit Travis Hunter from Florida State to Jackson State.
But get this. Sanders says he’s done all this without one single in-home visit.
In a recent interview with KTCK The Ticket, Sanders revealed the following:
“I haven’t been to one home yet.”
Sanders uses social media to accomplish his goals as that is the language of this generation.
“Zoom calls and social media is tremendous for us. We know how to use it really, really, well.”
Whatever Sanders is doing works. After getting the Hunter flip, JSU then added Kevin Coleman, the No. 4-ranked receiver in the nation and 44th-ranked player in the country.
Breaking: #Rivals100 WR Kevin Coleman becomes the latest elite football prospect to commit to Jackson State
Watch his reveal 👇@KevinLamarCole1 pic.twitter.com/tZAJgW9FPI
— Rivals (@Rivals) January 8, 2022
Coach Prime then used that same approach to sign 32 transfers from various FBS programs and add them to a roster that had just secured JSU’s first 11-win season in school history, won its first SWAC championship in 14 seasons and played in its first Celebration Bowl, recognized as the de facto Black College Football national championship.
A championship program isn't built overnight — but @DeionSanders and Jackson State University are making believers out of everybody.
“Coach Prime” returns with six new episodes, beginning next Tuesday (2/22). Presented by @ChevyTrucks pic.twitter.com/TaX6AldzO5
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) February 15, 2022
Deion Sanders Is A Brand, And His Presence Has Made HBCUs A Destination:
Coach Prime is smart enough to know recruiting is the key to success on the collegiate level. He also understands “no coach can out-coach recruiting. No coach is going to out-coach players.” That’s why he goes after the nation’s top recruits without fear of them being uninterested.
Sanders’ main attraction is that he’s deeply connected to the NFL community, from the owners on down to the players. And that’s where these players want to end up. He’s looking to restore that pipeline to the pros that was once a trademark of HBCU football.
Sanders is an NFL Hall of Famer, and arguably the best ever to play cornerback in the history of the league, and that means something when you’re trying to recruit the top players in the country.
Social media posts like this help immensely in his digital approach to recruiting, but everybody ain’t Coach Prime.
Lawd Jesus that Portal is Jumping like it’s never jumped before! Let’s me get my Ole baseball glove out so I can play catch. “I AIN’T HARD TO FIND”. To whom it may concern. #CoachPrime
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) November 29, 2021
Sanders Says He Doesn’t Have To Sell Anything To Recruits: JSU Sells Itself
Coach Prime has been adamant that he doesn’t have to sell the JSU program to get top recruits, it sells itself.
In a recent interview on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Sanders expounded on that:
“I don’t have to sell you. I ain’t selling nothing. That’s the thing about it, I don’t sell anything. I don’t have anything to sell. I’m going to allow you to understand that I’ve sat on three sides of the table. I’ve been in the living room and I’m the parent, I’ve been the player, and now I’m the coach. That’s a heck of an advantage, because I know the process of everyone in the room. I’m not selling anything, but I’m going to promise you that if you send me a boy, I’m going to send you back a man.”
Sanders, and the Tigers have mastered a style of recruiting that was forced upon them at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when Deion was first hired. In-home visits were a no-go during social distancing. Deion’s charisma, star power and swagger are inviting to recruits and provide an immediate hook. Then they see how well Jackson State performed in Coach Prime’s first full fall season and that’s a major selling point itself.
https://theshadowleague.com/you-can-expect-us-to-score-a-lot-of-points-deion-sanders-hires-nevadas-brett-bartelone-as-offensive-coordinator-prepare-for-this-air-raid-attack/
Power Five programs beware, Deion Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers are changing the landscape of college football and it starts with RECRUITING!
He doesn’t even have to knock on your door to get it done. Just hop in those DMs.
More news from our partners:
Billionaire Robert Smith Launches $1.8M Program to Provide Microgrants to HBCU Students In Need
