Jackson State announces Deion Sanders as its next head football coach

View the original article here

Deion Sanders will be the next head football coach at Jackson State, he announced Sunday on his new podcast.

“God called me to Jackson State,” Sanders said on the first episode of “21st & Prime,” according to a transcription by the Clarion Ledger.

Jackson State announced the hiring on Monday.

Sanders, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame following a stellar NFL career during which he also played Major League Baseball, is a first-time head coach at the collegiate level.

“I am truly blessed to be the 21st Head football coach of Jackson State University,” Sanders said in the school’s statement Monday. “It’s my desire to continue this storied tradition and history of JSU and prayerfully bring more national recognition to the athletes, the university, the Sonic Boom of the South, and HBCUs in general.”

“It’s very big for Jackson State University,” athletic director Ashley Robinson said, according to the Clarion Ledger’s transcription. “Not only for Jackson State University, this is very big for the country right now. Very big for the state of Mississippi. To Coach Prime, Jackson State University — a blue blood program full of Hall of Famers — it’s just a great time.”

In the statement Monday, Robinson said, “Coach Sanders is student-athlete centered and cares about young men and their wellbeing beyond the football field. We expect to compete for and win championships at Jackson State, and Coach Sanders will help us achieve those goals.”

Currently serving as the offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas, Sanders will finish out the season there before beginning preparations for Jackson State’s season, which has been pushed to the spring by the coronavirus pandemic.

Thomas Hudson, Jackson State’s acting president, said on the podcast that the move was a result of the “grace of God” and the history of Jackson State football, according to the Clarion Ledger.

Sanders, 53, backed Hudson’s comments on the podcast when asked why he was taking the job.

“Why not? Isn’t this the time?” said Sanders, who starred as a defensive back in the NFL. “Isn’t this the moment? Isn’t this what’s needed? To match what our president eloquently said, it’s a match made in heaven. This is a God move.”

Sanders replaces John Hendrick, who went 6-9 overall and 5-5 in the SWAC East. Jackson State’s most recent winning season came in 2013.

Blogs

BJTS 6-19-25

BJTS 6-19-25

George Cotton, UAPB Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement, announced that the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) will host the second annual Juneteenth in the Bluff: Arts & Culture Festival on Friday, June 20th  5p.m. to 11p.m. in Pine Bluff’s downtown Delta Rhythm and Bayous Cultural District at 3rd & Main Streets. The festival, sponsored…

BJTS 6-12-25

BJTS 6-12-25

Reverend Willie Wade and Diablo Coleman invite the public to the Hot Springs Juneteenth Celebration taking place this Saturday from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at 112 Orange Street in Hot Springs. The celebration will include a historical reflection on the origins of Juneteenth and a keynote address from Reverend Dr. Chris Jones. This year’s…

BJTS 6-5-25

BJTS 6-5-25

Fitzs Hill with Arkansas Baptist College (ABC) a private Baptist-affiliated, historically Black college in Little Rock. Founded in 1884 as the Minister’s Institute, ABC was initially funded by the Colored Baptists of the State of Arkansas. It is the only historically Black Baptist college west of the Mississippi River. Summer and fall semesters are coming…

BJT 5-23-25

BJT 5-23-25

Maria Hollowell, president of the Little Rock NAACP, along with event chair Carla Williams and Michael Nellum of Phi Beta Sigma, inviting the community to the NAACP End of School Year Bash. The event takes place next Saturday, May 31, from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM at Watson Elementary School. Families can enjoy free food,…

Playlist

Headlines