To stay or go? Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders has a decision to make

College football is an entertainment business that actively promotes the Cult of the Coach, which is precisely why Deion Sanders is a central character in the 2022 coaching cycle. 

Will Sanders stay at Jackson State, where he has proudly resuscitated a once-moribund HBCU program, or jump at a potential FBS opening come Sunday?

All these coaches have major egos, but no one has the cult of personality like Primetime. He comes with all the flash and the sizzle, but his bravado and bluster also give him a greater bandwidth than other coaches. 

Deion Sanders doesn’t play by the same rules as even Lane Kiffin or old-school coaches like Luke Fickell and Matt Rhule. 

While most coaches stick to the usual non-denials about potential opportunities elsewhere, Sanders came out earlier this week and outright said Colorado had offered him the job. 

“I’d be a liar if I said they didn’t (offer). You know, they did. I know they did. Everybody knows they did. So it is what it is.”

“They’re not the only ones,” he added. 

And that’s where this all gets very interesting. 

“They’re not the only ones.”

Are we sure about that Deion?

I’ve already made the case that Deion Sanders deserves a shot at a Power 5 job. Sanders has made it clear he wants one, too. 

But the timing and fit need to be right. 

While Sanders’ candor regarding Colorado — which has been confirmed by multiple national reporters, too — is refreshing, the larger-than-life figure has been known for hyperbole a time or two as well. 

His camp has certainly played a role in pushing such narratives as well, and that’s an important notion here because it very much impacts Sanders’ potential upcoming decision to either stay at JSU or jump to an FBS job. 

On Wednesday, WTVT Fox13 sports reporter Kevin O’Donnell seemingly backed up Sanders — “not the only ones” — statement with a report that said, “Deion Sanders has been telling recruits he will be at a school on Sunday. The decision appears to be down to Colorado, Cincinnati and USF.”

Deion Sanders has been telling recruits he will be at a school on Sunday. Decision appears to be down to Colorado, Cincinnati and USF.

— Kevin ODonnell Fox13 (@ODonnellFox13) November 30, 2022

But there’s been zero legitimate reporting elsewhere that Sanders actually is a real candidate at Cincy. He should be. He’d kill it there. Just like he would’ve at Arizona State, but he wasn’t a factor there, either. 

Meanwhile, it’s unclear how seriously involved USF is with Sanders. 

There has been some contact between the two parties, and again, considering Sanders grew up not too far away in Fort Myers and has strong ties across the rest of the state, he could do great rebuilding a Bulls’ program that has promise. Especially in an ever-changing AAC. 

But that doesn’t mean he has some standing offer at USF. Right now, there’s been much more smoke around Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell ending up at Tampa. 

Plus, is Deion Sanders so prideful that he will only leave Mississippi for a Power 5 job?

Which means Deion Sanders is really weighing leaving a JSU program he’s turned into an HBCU powerhouse (22-2 the last two seasons, including 11-0 playing for the SWAC title on Saturday) for among the worst Power 5 jobs in America right now. 

How badly do you really want to level up, Deion? How important is it that some of your JSU assistants get paid a market rate immediately?

Is Deion Sanders willing to stomach a hard rebuild at Colorado?

Colorado has a great football history, and Boulder is a cool city, but Primetime at Red Rock? That’d be quite the scene, man. 

Colorado is a really, really tough job. 

The Buffs are looking for their third head coach in four years. They were one of the cellar-dwellers of the Big 12 during their last five years in the conference and have mostly stayed in that same spot since moving to the Pac-12 in 2011. 

Outside of Mike MacIntyre’s outlier 10-win season in 2016, Colorado has finished with a losing record in 15 of the last 17 seasons. The only other year it finished above .500 was a 4-2 finish in the 2020-COVID shortened season. 

They lost their last four games this fall by an average of nearly 42 points per game. Its current roster is considered the worst in the country. Not just the Pac-12. America. Even though Sanders doesn’t need the cash, Colorado doesn’t have a ton of money to spend on assistant salaries or recruiting operations, ranking near the bottom of the Pac-12 in both categories. 

The facilities are fine, but there’s zero in-state recruiting footprint.

Some in Sanders’ camp have posited this is a potential advantage — he can go to California, Arizona and Texas to recruit players — but there’s a difference between going to those states and getting kids to leave for Boulder, even for Deion Sanders. 

Colorado hasn’t done much in the transfer portal, either, with Bruce Feldman saying just Wednesday on the Ryen Russillo Podcast that the program has “had issues getting kids in admitted through the portal.”

Sanders beat out Florida State, Alabama and Georgia for 5-star recruit Travis Hunter just last cycle, but it’s hard to see too many of the Travis Hunters of the world ending up in Boulder anytime soon if Sanders is handcuffed by CU’s transfer restrictions.

Ultimately, it totally makes sense why Colorado would want Deion. It wants some of that Primetime juice. It’s a listless program that needs a spark. 

Sanders has never been afraid to be a fish out of water. But he would be very far away from “water” at CU. 

Colorado is a job that will humble even Deion Sanders. 

Can he handle a couple of 2-10 seasons? Is he willing to jump into a relationship with an AD actively chasing other jobs? Will he bite his tongue when he faces media scrutiny or negative national attention if some players transfer or he doesn’t immediately land a bunch of blue-chip prospects?

Deion Sanders could absolutely overcome the odds at CU, and turn the program back into a relevant West Coast power. But it also could be his lone shot at a Power 5 school if he fails.

But is he willing to bet that Colorado is his one and only opportunity — this cycle or in the future? Does he want it so badly right now, or will he wait on potential future openings at Louisville (where’d he crush it) or somewhere in Florida, Texas or California?

Between now and Sunday, that’s for Deion to decide.