Deion Sanders out second straight Jackson State game with serious illness

Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders is expected to miss a second consecutive game, per a report from Football Scoop. The former NFL star remains hospitalized in Jackson, Mississippi, still recovering from a Sept. 22 foot surgery.

He is also dealing with an unspecified illness and sources said that “it’s extremely unlikely Sanders is able or allowed to coach this weekend.” Jackson State is scheduled to play at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday against Mississippi Valley State on the road.

Gary Harrell is running the Tigers program in Sanders’ absence, with Sanders last week calling Harrell his right hand.

In his appearance Monday on the SWAC coaches’ video conference, Harrell addressed Sanders’ absence.

“With the sudden change for us, luckily the foundation has been laid by Coach Prime,” Harrell said. “You mentioned the word consistency, we’ve kind of handled that also with the foundation and being consistent our schedule and our core values. Trying to be smart, fast, tough disciplined.

“We hang our hats on those words.”

The Tigers are currently on a four-game winning streak and 6-1 and ranked No. 16 the AFCA top 25. They won 42-12 against Bethune-Cookman in their last game, which Sanders also missed.

The arrival of Deion Sanders a year ago atop the Jackson State program continues to generate unprecedented buzz for both the school and the league, with the Tigers off to a historically strong start for the football program.

Seeking their first SWAC title in almost 15 years, JSU also is trying to earn its first-ever Celebration Bowl bid. Sanders also is publicly lobbying for the SWAC to regain its Football Championship Series playoff participation, something other league leaders also are now addressing.

A 14-year NFL veteran, Sanders was drafted fifth overall in 1989. He spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and others. He was also a professional baseball player while in the NFL.

Sanders entered the high school coaching ranks in 2012 with Prime Prep Academy and went on to coach for three years at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas. He took over Jackson State in 2020, his first college coaching job.

At 54, Sanders still has a few years ahead of him to move up, if he chooses. Hopefully he is able to recover from his illness and surgery to rejoin the Tigers later this year.