Prime Attraction

Taking a closer look into Coach Prime’s time with The Jackson St. Tigers (2020-22) and The Colorado Buffs (current). Two collegiate football teams that have undergone successful changes in leadership and in turn established a winning culture. It’s apparent that not only building but maintaining a “winning culture” is a high priority in just about any level of athletics. Proper coaching is a big part of building this culture. 

NFL legend and current Head Coach of the Colorado Buffs Football Team, Deion Sanders seems to understand the formula to a science. Coach Deion Sanders throughout the past 4 years has displayed his understanding of building a winning culture with emphasis on recruiting. Deion Sanders to this date has now been head coach of both of the teams who before his arrival had little to no success in just about any area of football.

From one organization to the next, one steady element of Coach Prime’s success is his ability to attract and secure some of the highest-rated recruits. Coach Prime started his coaching career at the high school level before moving onto the collegiate level where he coached Jackson St. University, a NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision team. Before Coach Prime’s arrival, the team had finished their previous season with a record of 5-5 and the year prior a record of 8-12.

Now those numbers aren’t necessarily abysmal however in comparison to the seasons Coach Prime was able to produce with the program he built compared to the seasons before his arrival it may begin to provide a better understanding of what his impact amounted to.  Later in the aforementioned passage from Jackson St. Football the team states:

In Fall 2021, Sanders led Jackson State back to championship glory with a school-record 11-win season and the first Southwestern Athletic Conference football championship since 2007. JSU went undefeated in conference play (8-0) and won nine consecutive games to complete the regular season en route to the SWAC Championship and the program’s first-ever berth in the Celebration Bowl.

Coach Prime’s impact was displayed on and off the field. So much so that, even just as much as the fact that his name was attached to a subdivision DI college football team their viewership per game drastically improved. The Jackson State Football Team also states:

With viewership for the first two games surpassing more than 200,000 online views on ESPN3, the power of Coach Prime and JSU transformed the network and led to the final four contested games of the spring season televised on linear television on ESPN or ESPN2 as JSU posted a 4-3 record.

Another article, this time by Micheal McCarthy of the Front Office Sports page side notes “Colorado vs. CSU grudge match draws ESPN’s biggest late prime-time audience.” These numbers wouldn’t come anywhere near as high without the involvement of Coach Prime.

Coach Prime’s reputation which dates back to his legendary football career to as a far as a sports analyst is a heavy benefit for overlooked teams when his name is attached to them. This increased viewership and the team’s success eventually leads to more players wanting to play under Coach Prime and also setting up his players with more exposure to get them to the next level.

Due to his quick success and ability to change the culture of the program of The Jackson St. Football from an “underground” level program to a now more exposed, winning, and respected program Coach Prime was presented with many awards. Some of these include “SWAC Coach of the Year” and “Black College Hall of Fame Coach Of the Year in 2021” amongst many other awards he received during his time with the program. Coach Prime’s achievements within his short tenure with the team was heavily admired by the sports world. Coach Primes’ understanding of flipping the culture of an organization was in full effect and he and his team were feeding the world with as much evidence as they could bear.

After 3 years with Jackson St. Coach Prime decided to take his skillset to the next level of collegiate football. Sanders was hired at The University of Colorado which at the time raised many eyebrows and even infuriated some. The world’s initial reaction consisted of questions such as “If he intended to provide HBCU football programs with more exposure why would he leave?” and “Why would he choose Colorado, they have been one of the worst teams in college football for years.” Coach Prime’s decision to take the role at The University of Colorado truly took the world by storm.

Similar questions and viewpoints swirled through the media for some time. However, as the season came closer to beginning fans and media critics quickly shifted attention from “What he could’ve done if he did stay at Jackson St.” to “What will he do now that he’s at Colorado?”

With his move to Boulder, CO Coach Prime brought some more luggage other than his belongings. Prime also recruited his two sons who played for him at Jackson St. and got them to play for him at Colorado. Along with his children, Prime convinced athlete Travis Hunter to follow and play for him at Colorado, which can be seen as a sign of trust and loyalty between Prime and his most notable signing. Amongst those three, Coach Prime also signed high-rated recruits going into the 2023 season. According to an article posted to Bleacher Report by author Timothy App: 

Colorado is getting a major boost in the secondary with Hunter and McClain. But the Buffaloes are also getting a bunch of skill-position talent, including 4-star running back Dylan Edwards and 4-star wideouts Adam Hopkins and Omarion Miller. After that trio, Colorado will have 24 incoming 3-star freshmen. Colorado’s transfer class also ranks No. 5 in the nation, led by Hunter’s defection from Jackson State. The Buffaloes are also getting Sanders’ son, 4-star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and four other 4-star transfers: linebacker Demouy Kennedy, interior offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil, tight end Seydou Traore and wideout Jimmy Horn Jr.

The ability to consistently attract and secure top rated recruits remains the main ingredient of Coach Prime’s recipe to establish a winning culture within his team. Prime’s evaluation of talent has once again pushed his legacy to new heights.

References

Jackson State University. (n.d.). https://gojsutigers.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/deion-sanders/219 

Rapp, T. (2023, February 1). Examining Deion Sanders’ 2023 recruiting class in 1st year as Colorado HC. Bleacher Report. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10063834-examining-deion-sanders-2023-recruiting-class-in-1st-year-as-colorado-hc