Updated – 12/14/22 8:45 pm
By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
While Deion Sanders departure from Jackson State University to take over as the head football coach at the University of Colorado has sparked a great deal of debate among African Americans across the country, his arrival in Colorado has made the recruiting trail, especially among highly-touted athletes in Washington state very interesting.
Originally known for his impressive performances on the football and baseball fields, Sanders won two Super Bowl titles and made an appearance in the World Series, becoming the only athlete to play in both. Given the nickname ‘Prime Time’, Sanders has made a career out of elevating his profile and the profile of all of the teams that he has been associated with both as a player and now as a coach.
Sanders’ resume speaks for itself as far as his playing days are concerned. Drafted fifth overall in the NFL by the Atlanta Falcons out of Florida State University, Sanders was a dominating force at his defensive back position. He finished his highly decorated career with nine all-pro selections, 53 interceptions, eight pro bowl appearances, and 22 career touchdowns. Sanders would go on coach high school football where he dominated winning three straight state championships at Trinity Christian in Texas before leaving for Jackson State.
While many of the top recruits have solidified their commitments to other schools, they believe that Sanders has the ability to build a competitive program at Colorado.
“Deion Sanders is a legend in his own right, he has the perfect timing,” said University of Oregon commit Caleb Presley, a four-star defensive back from Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School. “He has an opportunity to build something special in Colorado with the transfer portal and upcoming recruits, who wouldn’t want to play for Primetime!”
Sanders began his collegiate coaching career in 2020 as the 21st head coach of Jackson State’s football program. Although the season was cut short, Sanders made an immediate impact.
Sanders won the first game of his collegiate coaching career 53-0, he defeated Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic in back-to-back seasons, and took home the Eddie Robinson award, which honors coaches in the FCS after leading Jackson State to their first 10-win season since 1996.
A successful start to his career, the Prime effect was alive and well, and Sanders was able to secure a commitment from defensive back Travis Hunter, who chose Jackson State over Florida State, making him the first five-star recruit to choose an HBCU in the modern college football era.
In addition, James Houston, Sanders’ first player drafted by the NFL (Detroit Lions, 2022 – round 6), is making a name for himself in the league after re-establishing himself at Jackson State. With Sanders at the helm, Jackson State had their spring football game nationally televised for the first time (ESPNU), and brought ESPN’s College Gameday to the campus of an HBCU for the first time ever. Sanders also led his team to their second straight Southwester Athletic Conference (SWAC) title in just his third season.
Since the news of Sanders taking the job at Colorado broke, many top recruits across the country have added Colorado to their teams of interest.
One top Metro League recruit, who spoke to The Seattle Medium in private, said that, “it’s really cool that Deion is coaching there, and it’s going to put a lot of eyes on the Colorado program.”
When asked if he’d consider Colorado if they were to recruit him, the recruit who is currently committed to another school said, “I am in love with the school I’m committed too, so I don’t know if I’d reconsider.”
Garfield quarterback EJ Caminong, who is committed to the University of Washington, says that he is steadfast in his commitment and is not interested in reconsidering his commitment to the UW.
“I think it’s great for their program and is a step in the right direction, as well as making the Pac-12 more competitive but as it goes for my commitment, I’m still 100 percent locked in with UW,” says Caminong.
Even though many recruits in the area say that they are not being swayed by the presence of Sanders at Colorado, many local area coaches say that is can be tough for young athletes, especially up and coming sophomores and juniors, to not be tempted to consider Colorado when the phone rings and its Coach Prime on the other end of the phone, or he shows up at a game to watch you play.
“Prime is like a superhero, kids will stop and listen to him,” says Rainier Beach High School Head Football Coach Corey Sampson. “He is a players’ coach, who wouldn’t want to entertain the idea of playing for him.”
Garfield Head Football Coach Reggie Witherspoon agrees and says that one of the things that Sanders has going for him is that his program and coaching style is an extension of what so many inner-city coaches try to instill in their players – discipline, character and life lessons that prepare them for the future.
“He’s a players’ coach who understands young men,” says Witherspoon. “He’s a motivator that brings so much out in these young men, teaching so many life skills that will continue to help them grow as men.”
As it relates to the University of Colorado, the hiring of Sanders has already had an impact on the program. The school set had a single day record in online merchandise revenue with $49,800 in sales after introducing him as the head coach, they secured 1,410 season ticket deposits, over 2,000 season ticket interest forms, and 6,000 season tickets in the pipeline.
In addition, the Colorado football program saw an increase in social media followers, including a 202% increase on TikTok, a 142% increase on Instagram, and 26.8% increase on Twitter — which combined for 173,345 new followers and over 42 million social media impressions.
Although it may be late in the recruiting process for some, many believe that Sanders still has time to land his fair share of top recruits. The only question for now is who and how many?
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect Caleb Presley as a University of Oregon commit.
