Former NFL star Deion Sanders is expected to be named Jackson State’s next football coach, a user familiar with Clarion Ledger said Friday.
The user spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has been terminated.
Sanders, 53, played in the NFL for 14 seasons and MLB for nine seasons. Nicknamed “Prime Time”, Sanders entered the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Jackson State is playing football in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has announced a spring calendar. The first game will be on February 27 at the house opposite the Mississippi Valley State.
Sanders has never been a head coach before and has been an assistant at a school or professional staff.
Sanders is Trinity Christian’s offensive coordinator in Cedar Hill, Texas. The program has won 3 consecutive state championships and is run by senior quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Son of Deion. Shedeur, rated 4 stars through ESPN and 247 Sports, signed with Florida Atlantic in July.
Trinity Christian opened its 2020 program in the Jackson metropolitan area at Madison-Ridgeland Academy.
Sanders has also been an on-air personality and an analyst since retirement. He was in the past with NFL Network before signing an agreement with Barstool Sports this year.
Sanders, with Ed Reed, trained in the 2020 All-American Under Armour Match.
Sanders has expressed his preference for coaching a school football program the next season before this year at the Super Bowl on “The Dan Patrick Show. “
In a video interview published Monday, Professional Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre said he knew Sanders had assembled a player for the position he would accept.
Jackson State fired John Hendrick on August 31. He appointed interim head coach in 2018 and retained the full-time position in 2019. Jackson State finished 6-9 overall and 5-5 at southwestern Athletic Conference in its first season. 4-8 in 2019.
Assistant coaches T. C. Taylor and Otis Riddley interim coaches.
Contact Rashad Milligan at 601-862-6198 or Jmilligan@gannett. com. Follow @RashadMilligan on Twitter.