Deion Sanders Leaves Jackson State for Colorado

But it seemed from close to the start of his success that Sanders, whose record at Jackson State was 27-5, was someday bound for consideration to lead a program in a Power 5 conference.

With Colorado, which has posted two winning seasons since 2006, he will face one of the country’s greatest rebuilding challenges. The Buffaloes have been in the market for a coach since Oct. 2, when the university ousted Karl Dorrell, whose team was 8-15 in his less than three years in Boulder. Colorado finished this season with a 1-11 record, with its lone win coming in overtime on Oct. 15 over California.

“There were a number of highly qualified and impressive candidates interested in becoming the next head football coach at Colorado, but none of them had the pedigree, the knowledge and the ability to connect with student-athletes like Deion Sanders,” Rick George, the Colorado athletic director, said in a statement. “Not only will Coach Prime energize our fan base, I’m confident that he will lead our program back to national prominence while leading a team of high quality and high character.”

The possibility of Sanders exiting Jackson bubbled all through the week leading up to Saturday’s conference championship game, in part because the coach acknowledged that Colorado had offered him its coaching job.

Colorado is taking something of a risk with Sanders, who relishes being “Coach Prime,” a nod to his longtime nickname. A brilliant N.F.L. cornerback over 14 seasons who also played outfield in Major League Baseball — Colorado noted proudly that Sanders is the only person to have played in the Super Bowl and the World Series — he went on to lead Prime Prep Academy, which closed in 2015 amid academic, financial and legal troubles.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/03/sports/ncaafootball/deion-sanders-colorado-jackson-state.html