Deion Sanders, better known as Coach Prime these days, shocked a lot of people with the news that he will be leaving HBCU Jackson State University for a coaching opportunity at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Coach Prime made sure to address his team about his departure:
The opportunity will put Deion and his son Shedeur Sanders, the quarterback for JSU, on a much bigger stage in college football terms since the Colorado Buffaloes are in the Big 12 Conference, but it is very sad to know that Coach Prime will no longer be coaching an HBCU.
JSU won the championship in the SWAC conference last year, with an undefeated season, and they are favored to win the chip again this year.
They will compete for their chance to go back-to-back as SWAC Champions on December 17, in the Celebration Bowl against North Carolina Central, in Atlanta, allowing Coach Prime to leave the program with another undefeated championship season.
Coach Prime has set numerous records during his nearly three seasons at JSU, but more importantly, the impact he’s had on his players is beyond words.
His celebrity and his connections have allowed him to upgrade the JSU franchise on many levels, including game attendance, uniforms, travel, and notoriety.
Twitter has expressed mixed emotions about Coach Prime accepting the CU job.
Scoop some tweets below:
Coach Prime recently responded to the backlash tweeting:
Deion Sanders, his son Shedeur, and his lady of 10 years, Tracy Edmonds, recently visited the facilities at the University of Colorado.
In an interesting twist, Colorado athletic director Rick George publicly admitted on Sunday (December 4) that they “don’t have the money yet” for Deion’s contract.
We don’t have the money yet, but I know we’ll have it so I’m not worried about that piece.
Deion’s contract with CU is a five-year deal worth $29.5 million.
He will be paid $5.5 million in his first year, and he is to receive $200,000 raises each year over the life of the contract.
Reportedly, Rick has some funding lined up that will secure the funds to pay Deion, but he was not willing to go public with where those funds will come from.
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Source: Sports Illustrated (SI)
