Fans Vote Coach Prime The 2022 Premier Coach of College Football
The 2022 Premier Coach of College Football Award Winner is the incomparable Deion Sanders for his work with the Jackson State Tigers.
When Deion Sanders took the job at Jackson State, the college football world didn’t know how to react. Deion Sanders was a massive name that spanned generations thanks to his play in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Baltimore Ravens, but also his media career on ESPN and the NFL Network. Add in his appearances on shows such as The League, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, and Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love, and it is hard to argue that Deion Sanders was the biggest name ever to take a job at the FCS level.
Deion Sanders not only took over an FCS gig but also a program in Jackson State that is part of the historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) system. Deion Sanders did have previous coaching experience, first as head coach of his own Prime Prep Academy and then at Triple A Academy, but his move from there showed that Prime wanted to learn more about the coaching game. He stepped back from the head coach role, taking a job as offensive coordinator of Trinity Christian Academy, which allowed him to coach his sons Shilo and Shedeur.
Deion Sanders’ first season at Jackson State was maybe what people expected. He went 4-3 in a season moved from Fall to Spring by the Covid-19 pandemic, setting foundations for Jackson State but not setting the world on fire.
In 2021, Deion Sanders lit up the college football world. His Jackson State Tigers won 11 games, setting a program record and earning Sanders the Eddie Robinson Award as the top FCS coach in the country. He went 8-0 in SWAC play and the Tigers finished the season with an 11-2 record. As good as his 2021 was, Deion Sanders was just getting started.
Deion Sanders has relationships with players that other coaches can only dream of. His massive personality and drive to be the best at everything he does resonate with recruits and their families. That is how Deion Sanders pulled off the biggest recruiting coup of all time when he flipped defensive back Travis Hunter from Florida State to Jackson State before the 2022 season. Hunter was the No. 1 player in the entire class, the type of player that HBCUs have zero chance of signing. With Sanders at the helm, the Tigers were able to sign Hunter, a player who had 15 tackles, nine pass breakups, two picks, and a fumble recovery in seven games played as a true freshman this fall.
Deion Sanders not only recruits but also develops players, too. That is how his Jackson State team took another leap forward in 2022, rolling to the Celebration Bowl on the back of a 12-1 record and another undefeated season in SWAC play. For his Jackson State career, Deion Sanders was 27-6 as a head coach and 23-3 if you discount the Covid mess of the 2020 season. It is an astonishing record for a first-time college head coach and one that Sanders should always be proud of as he moves on to new challenges – enormous challenges – with the Colorado State Buffaloes in the Pac-12 starting in 2023.
Your 2022 Premier Coach of College Football Award Winner is the legendary Deion Sanders.