Everybody is born with a mission and/or purpose in life. Some find it earlier and/or easier than others.
Deion Sanders found a new mission through football when he was hired by Jackson St. as the Tigers’ head coach in 2020.
In three seasons at the helm for the Tigers, Sanders has basically single-handedly forced the world of college football to pay attention to what he’s building in Mississippi.
He’s 19-5 and just completed back-to-back thumpings of Grambling St. (66-24) and Mississippi Valley St. (49-7).
His personality, passion and commitment to the program have earned him legions of new admirers and enabled him to sign top recruits and transfers.
He understands his position and leverages his status to help his program, players and the institution of HBCU football.
From donating half of his salary to complete the football facility’s renovation and spending his own money to ensure players had a clean and safe environment during Jackson’s ongoing water crisis to calling for unity between programs to forge stronger financial foundations, Sanders is fulfilling his mission of uplifting a once proud and legendary sport that has produced some of the greatest players in NFL history.
Now his success has attracted a new form of attention, one that could pull him away from all that he’s facilitated.
Over the weekend, Georgia Tech fired head football coach Geoff Collins.
Collins was viewed as the savior of the Yellowjackets. A coach who was going to elevate the program up from the bowels of the ACC.
Instead, Collins continued the program’s descent, amassing a four-year record of 10-28.
Immediately, speculation commenced over the team’s next head coach, and Sanders’ name emerged.
He has Atlanta roots as he once dominated the secondary for the Falcons and roamed the outfield for the Braves.
And with his winning record and power to attract both attention and recruits, it makes for a perfect match.
But if Sanders is offered the opportunity, I feel he should politely say “thanks, but no thanks”, for his purpose lies with HBCU, not ACC, football.
And his mission in Mississippi has really just begun.
Prior to his arrival, HBCU football, outside of the long-standing Bayou Classic and the founding of the Celebration Bowl in 2015, had lost the attention, talent and luster it once possessed in the 70s, 80s and early 90s.
Legendary names like Eddie Robinson, Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, Jake Gaither, Shannon Sharpe and others were long gone. Only traditionalists, students and alumni retained their loyalty.
National networks seldom aired the games, and if they did, the production quality was poor.
The games had no national connection or meaning, and teams had no leverage. In the media’s eyes, the sole treasure was in the bands.
Enter Deion Sanders.
Sanders has resurrected the institution of HBCU football and ushered in a new wave of support and attention throughout the country.
No longer is Jackson St. solely a local market draw.
The program has carved out a national presence due to Sanders, and other HBCU programs like Tennessee St. and Grambling St. have followed suit by bringing in NFL talent to coach their programs.
But now that teams like Georgia Tech have witnessed Sanders’ success, he’s become an attractive target.
While that’s a testament to what he’s fostered, it morphs into a problem long faced by Black institutions, communities and programs in sports.
Once outside entities get a whiff of local Black athletic talent, the purge begins, depleting and depriving local programs and neighborhoods.
It’s a common occurrence in high school sports. How many talented Black athletes end up at parochial or private schools a few towns over?
And yes, the rewards can be plentiful.
But so can the costs.
That’s what can happen to Jackson St. and HBCU football as a whole if Deion Sanders gets an offer from Georgia Tech and he accepts.
Leaving now, after all that he’s accomplished in such as short period, is akin to the high school recruiting practice.
I hope Deion understands his importance to the future of not only HBCU football but also HBCU schools. Sanders has revived the once mighty JSU Tigers. Yet, intentionally or not, his impact extends beyond the gridiron.
In life, many are fortunate enough to reach a crossroads replete with options and paths to success. It is there that we are forced to make a choice with our heart, mind or wallet.
If Georgia Tech comes calling, I hope Deion chooses with the two former and remains with Jackson St., for then the latter will follow and be spread among many in need instead of a few who already have.
