Report: Details surface on Deion Sanders' interview at TCU

Nearly two weeks after TCU’s decision to part ways with head coach Gary Patterson, the second longest-tenured head coach behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, the Horned Frogs athletic department appears as intrigued as ever by Deion Sanders.

Sanders, known by his nickname Prime Time, first emerged as a candidate for the TCU opening on Nov. 3. According to a Nov. 9 report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Sanders is “squarely” in the mix for the TCU head coaching vacancy after impressing the Horned Frogs’ brass in his first interview for the gig.

Sanders is currently the head coach at Jackson State. A member of both the Pro and College Football Hall of Fame, Sanders, one of the greatest defensive backs of all time, won two Super Bowls, an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and was named a first team All-Pro six times in his NFL career.

He took over as Jackson State’s head coach last season, going 4-3 in an abbreviated 2020 spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, however, Sanders’ Tigers are off to an 8-1 start and sit comfortably atop the SWAC.

Deion Sanders, Jay Norvell and Kellen Moore first emerge as TCU candidates

In early November, when Sanders’ name began to frequent TCU head coaching conversations, he was one of a few candidates that were in the mix for the gig.

Three current college head coaches were on TCU’s list for potential interviews, including Sanders, Nevada head coach Jay Norvell and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott.

In those same reports, Dallas Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was mentioned as a candidate; however, it was reported that Moore’s representatives were reaching out to TCU, rather than the other way around. A subsequent report from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, published Nov. 8, said that Moore was no longer in consideration for the job.

TCU will continue its search to replace Patterson, who coached the Horned Frogs through two different conference realignments; TCU jumped first from the Conference-USA to the Mountain West, then a few years later moved to its current conference, the Big 12. The 61-year-old head coach joined the program as a defensive coordinator in 1998 and took over head coaching duties in 2000. Patterson accumulated a 181-79 record over 21 seasons with TCU.

Patterson and TCU agreed to part ways after a three-game skid. His 2021 team was 3-5 overall, including a 1-4 record in the Big 12.

The winningest head coach in Horned Frogs history, Patterson helped TCU gain enough relevance in the college football landscape to earn an invitation to the Big 12. However, despite his history of success, fans have called for Patterson’s job before. The first time came after year three, when he went 5-6 in 2004. The second time was when Baylor and Art Briles were finding success and the Horned Frogs finished their second season in the Big 12 with consecutive losing years and a record of 11-14.

The Horned Frogs were embarrassed at their own Homecoming, falling 29-17 to West Virginia. The TCU defense ranked 119 of 130 schools in the nation in team defense, allowing 451.1 yards per game. After the abysmal performance, Patterson and TCU parted ways.