On December 15, 2021, Deion Sanders and Jackson State University (JSU) shocked the college football world by flipping the #1 recruit in 2022, defensive back Travis Hunter, from his commitment to Florida State.
“Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a rich history in football. I want to be part of that history, and more, I want to be part of that future,” wrote Hunter.
While this shocked most of the sports world, Sanders and JSU have been building to this moment.
Football Scoop described Jackson State’s 2021 recruiting class as “the best in FCS history, post-integration.” The Hall of Famer’s success on the recruiting trail has also born fruit on the field. The JSU Tigers are 11-1 and will play for a Black College Football National Title in the Celebration Bowl on Saturday.
Sanders was awarded the “Eddie Robinson Award” for FCS Coach of the Year, leaving little doubt of Sanders’ impact and influence on the overall college football landscape.
Sanders’ rapid accent in the coaching world means he has a chance to join the legacy of great HBCU coaches, including Cleveland Abbott (Tuskegee), Jake Gaither (FAMU), Eddie Robinson (Grambling), Arnett Mumford (Southern), Eddie Hurt (Morgan State), Billy Nicks (Prairie View), and many others.
Among these giants, Sanders’ style is reminiscent of College Football Hall of Famer John Merritt.
For more than three decades, Merritt led Jackson State (1952-1962) to national prominence and Tennessee State (1963-1983) to seven HBCU national titles. Flamboyant in an era where Black coaches chose a stoic demeanor and character building, Merritt showed up to recruit’s homes with sunglasses, a Cadillac, and a cigar. He believed in the entertainment value of HBCU football, what he called “The Show.”
With his “Prime Time” alter ego, Sanders has always understood the importance of entertainment.
Before taking the JSU job, Sanders had little coaching experience. Shortly after his hiring, erroneous reports surfaced of a Hall of Fame coaching staff that would have included Terrell Owens and Warren Sapp. While those high-profile names weren’t hired, one important and crucial name eventually appeared on the JSU coaching staff- former Defensive Coordinator of the NY Jets and Buffalo Bills, Dennis Thurman.
In the Tigers’ march toward the Black College National title, the defense dominated, allowing only 13 points per game. Whereas many new head coaches are selected because of their coaching acumen, Sanders has embraced a CEO approach to the job, a position often not afforded to Black head coaches.
Sanders’ reliance on assistant coaches echoes Merritt’s legacy.
Merritt was, by his admission, a figurehead, more than a tactician. He relied on his assistant coaches, Alvin Coleman and Joe Gilliam, Sr., to install game plans and supervise practices. Yet, all three approached the game similarly.
“You can just take all of these victories and divide them up into three equal parts.” said Merritt of his more than 200 victories. “I may have won some games in my time, but Coleman and Gilliam are the real coaches now. They do the work. I handle all of the outside interests.”[3]
Sanders has been a significant spokesperson for JSU and HBCU football in general and has been at his best with the “outside interests.”
But can other programs can replicate Sanders’ recruiting success? Again, Merritt provides the blueprint.
HBCU players must have publicity and success. While Eddie Robinson relied on Collie Nicholson to spread the word about Grambling, Merritt was a master of generating interest in his players. He gave star player monikers like “The Lord’s Prayer,” “Jefferson Street,” “747,” and “Too Tall.” The flashy nicknames matched the play, as Eldridge Dickey, Joe Gilliam, Joe Adams, and Ed Jones were all high NFL Draft picks.
It remains to be seen if Sanders’ recruits yield the same success, but players like Travis Hunter are betting that Sanders can make them household names at JSU.
Looming over HBCU football are the structural legacies of segregation that have left alumni too little wealth and athletic programs struggling compared to their PWI counterparts. The lack of resources has been longstanding.
Merritt once complained that his teams did not have enough towels for the players. Sanders, too, noted the inequities between HBCUs & PWIs. Both men turned to White business owners to support their program’s ambitions. Sanders’ affiliation with the misogynistic and racist Barstool Sports has been the conversation of much hand-wringing among fans and supporters, but it remains unclear if JSU recruiting success, which has relied on corporate NIL sponsorship, will carry over to facilities.
A student-athlete’s decision to attend an HBCU is also the realization that they will be wrapped in the love at the institution.
Historian Jelani Favors’ Shelter in the Time of Storm describes how Black Colleges fostered a communitas through a race-centered mission that offers “shelter from the worst elements of white supremacist society that sought to undermine, overlook, and render impotence the actual capacity of Black youths.”
My work on HBCU football describes a sporting congregation that functions to foster athletic dreams and support students into adulthood. While PWIs with billion-dollar endowments still struggle with diversity initiatives, the human resources at HBCUs have helped Black communities survive Jim Crow segregation, launch the Civil Rights Movement, and produce most of the Black middle class. Hunter’s decision to attend Jackson State also means he won’t have to worry about white fans cheering him on Saturdays but calling him the N-word in their fraternities and sororities.
Sanders’ success on the field and in recruiting hint at the possibilities for the future of HBCU sports.
As Jackson State’s, the Sonic Boom of the South, theme song declares, “Get Ready.”
[3] David Climer, “Merritt is ‘Aided’ in Coaching Ventre,” The Tennessean, December 6, 1979.
