Is Hall of Famer Deion Sanders coming home to coach Texas Christian University (TCU)? After 14 seasons in the league, Deion Sanders has found his new calling in coaching football instead of playing. He is the head coach at Jackson State University (JSU) and has a good history with the Tigers. The HBCU has had 20 prior coaches before Sanders took the job. With this being said, Sanders said, “I am truly blessed to be the 21st Head football coach of Jackson State University.” His background is no joke, but when it comes to coaching, he has done a great job.

Jackson State has a record of 10-4 with Sanders as the head coach. JSU scored 61 points this past season which is the most points scored in their programs history. This accomplishment shows how much of an impact Deion has on the team. Even though JSU is a part of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, they have a winning percentage of .603 and are ranked top 25 in the NCAA Division I.

The story of Deion Sanders is unforgettable. He was born in Fort Myers Florida and was always good at football, basketball, and baseball. After an outstanding high school career, Sanders attended Florida State University which was the beginning of his legacy. In 1985, Sanders was a punt returner as well as a cornerback (CB). His freshman year in punt returns was unbelievable with 503 yards and 1 touchdown. This is amazing for a freshman to tear through some of the top defenses in the country. His defensive accolades in 1985 were pretty average with 1 interception, 100 yards, and a touchdown. For the next three years, however, Sanders racked up a total of 14 interceptions, 3 were returned for touchdowns, 287 yards, and 3 punt return touchdowns. These stats lead him to be the fifth overall player to be drafted in the 1989 NFL draft. The Atlanta Falcons acquired Deion Sanders in hopes of having a persistent and dominant CB for their team. Little did they know, they had drafted a soon to be Hall of Famer.

Sanders played 5 seasons with the Falcons and put up amazing numbers. He had 24 interceptions,  a season high of 7 in 1993, 8 total touchdowns, and a total of 4,697 yards (interceptions, kick returns and punt returns). His next season was with the San Francisco 49ers. Even though he only played with them for one season, he still had 6 interceptions, 3 touchdowns, 303 yards, as well as a Super Bowl ring to top it off. His next stop was the Dallas Cowboys. Sanders stayed with Dallas for 5 seasons and won Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers. His season wasn’t as dominant as it was in Atlanta, but he still had 14 interceptions, 6 touchdowns, and 1,593 yards. His fourth team was The Washington Redskins, aka the Washington Football Team, and he stayed with them for a season. Deion had 4 interceptions and 275 yards. To finish his outstanding career, Sanders went to The Baltimore Ravens from 2004-2005. He had 5 interceptions, 1 touchdown, and 185 yards. In total he has 52 interceptions, 18 touchdowns, and 7,053 total yards. Gil Brandt, an NFL senior analyst, made a list of the best NFL cornerbacks of all time and guess who is on the top of that list? The one and only, Deion Sanders.

TCU has had a lot of success in previous years, but this year is different. The head coach of the team, Gary Patterson, has been struggling to keep the Horned Frogs in the mix. Patterson stated, “You went from two guys in the NFL [safeties Trevon Moehrig and Ar’Darius Washington] to now some guys that are growing up. Guys have got to grow up and make plays. It’s not rocket science in this whole thing.” This has brought a lot of controversy between the coach and the team. Ryan Glasspiegel from the New York Post said, “The TCU job is vacant after the school parted ways with Gary Patterson last week. Patterson had been the Horned Frogs’ head coach for more than 20 years.”. This came as a surprise but TCU is bouncing back with ongoing interviews for the head coaching spot. The team itself is 2-5 with wins against Duquesne and California. Can this losing streak be broken after they get a new head coach, or will the horned frogs be in a slump for the rest of the season?

Rumors about Deion Sanders going to the TCU interviews have finally been confirmed. On November 8th, 2021, Sanders was interviewed by the TCU athletics department and was said to have “impressed” them. Deion does have a solid playing background, but his coaching background is still pretty young. However, does experience really matter when you’re a super bowl champion like Sanders? Either way, there are other contenders for the TCU head coaching spot, but it’s not set in stone who will get the job. Dustin Lewis from Sports Illustrated said, “While TCU may decide to go with a more experienced option, it’s nice to see Sanders get legitimate looks for a Power Five job.” Deion Sanders is going to do great wherever he ends up. With his experience in football and his charismatic personality he will be successful no matter the team.

Jackson State may be feeling uneasy with this information about their head coach exploring other options. However, Sanders has helped the program from being average to excellent. Will his absence hurt the team? Is there going to be backlash for even attending the interview? All these questions are circling, but Deion has made no comment agreeing or denying his next steps.