Deion Sanders' exit from Jackson State is polarizing issue among alumni, fans

In September of 2020, Deion Sanders was named the coach of the Jackson State Tigers. He was a professional athlete and a high school football coach prior to the appointment and called his hire at the historically black university a “God Move.”

COVID-19 disruptions would complicate his first season with the Tigers, but the next two years would arguably be some of the best for JSU football. Sanders’ second season saw a record-high 11 wins and a Southwestern Athletic Conference title, and the 2022 squad would ultimately be at the center of one of the most followed narratives in sports journalism that year.

This past season has been a dream for JSU and its fans. An undefeated regular season, a bowl appearance, another SWAC title, and a College Gameday appearance have made this year one to remember. And at the center of it all, rallying his supporters and inspiring his players, has been Sanders, colloquially known as “Coach Prime.”

Rob Jay, who works in broadcasting and video services at JSU, called the coach a “marketing genius.”

“He loves social media. He lives by social media.” Jay said back in October. “He always has a microphone on him. He always has a camera on him… it’s been very interesting working with Deion Sanders.”

Fast forward to December of this year. After spending the last two years celebrating and advocating for HBCU football, Sanders announces that he’s taken a job at the University of Colorado, a predominantly white institution that is coming off a 1-10 season. At the SWAC championship game against Southern University this year, news had already spread that Coach Prime was taking a new job, and the opposing band brought attention to Sanders' recent hire. "I told y'all he wasn't SWAC!" the Southern University band announcer said over the PA.

In the college football world, the so-called “coaching carousel” is not unusual, as multiple programs around the country see changes in coaching staffs every year. But to some JSU alumni, this announcement means a lot more than just Sanders taking a bigger job.

Maise Brown is currently a junior at JSU and has often taken the role of an activist for black students. She has interned for the ACLU and was an integral part of organizing protests in Jackson after the death of George Floyd. She says that HBCUs should not be seen as “stepping stones” to further careers, and that Sanders should practice what he preaches.

“He used the HBCU trope as a rallying point and as an ‘amen section,’” Brown said. “To let [the players] know they can be successful without going to these power-five school, and then two and a half years later go to one of those schools... It's just hard for me to take that serious.”

Some JSU alumni feel that the culture building Sanders did at JSU won’t be as effective at a PWI like Colorado. Mississippi state Sen. Sollie Norwood graduated from the university in 1974. He says that the Jackson community will miss Sanders as well as his players and school.

“People were actually going to things and… you know, making personal sacrifices to go to games because they believed in it,” he said. “and now all of a sudden, you're going to pack your bags and leave it? It… seems kind of bad.”

Sanders' departure seems to resonate with the entire Black community according to Roland Martin, a journalist that speaks often on Black culture. Earlier this month, he said that people who were critical of Sanders should look inward and ask themselves what they’re doing for HBCUs and other Black-owned business models.

“All you doing is sitting on social media demanding something of him that you ain't doing yourself,” he said. “Deion, good luck. I'll be at Jackson State's campus giving the commencement speech. I'm going to say the same thing to the graduates there. If you love Jackson State, if you actually love it, show it with your money.”

While HBCU supporters like Norwood and Brown say they continue to show their support, they certainly won’t have the same money Coach Prime has now been promised. Colorado has signed the coach for $29.5 million over five years – a massive increase from his $1.4 million contract over four years at Jackson State. 

Sanders says he will coach the Celebration Bowl next weekend before departing for Colorado officially.