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Atlanta Falcons legend and current Jackson State head coach, Deion Sanders, stole the show on signing day by landing the nation’s No. 1 recruit, cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.
The five-star recruit out of Georgia had previously committed to Florida State––where Sanders played before entering the league––in March of 2020 but shocked the world on National Signing Day by de-committing from FSU and signing with HBCU Jackson State instead.
Hunter went above and beyond in his announcement video where he laid out Florida State, Georgia and Auburn hats in a row but tossed those to the side and had his mother in the crowd throw him a JSU hat. He made it officially official by unzipping his jacket, which revealed a Jackson State shirt underneath.
The duel-threat athlete had a remarkable senior season despite missing some time with an ankle injury. On offense, Hunter recorded 76 catches for 1128 yards and ten touchdowns. And on the defensive side, he tallied 23 tackles, 4 interceptions, 5 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles.
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Coach Shuts Down Million-Dollar NIL Deal Rumors
Sanders appeared on ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill & Max where he used the spotlight to shut down rumors, which circulated via Twitter saying that Hunter signed with Jackson State because of a $1.5 million NIL deal from Barstool Sports.
“We didn’t pay him! We ain’t got no money! We ain’t got no money!” Sanders said. “I heard a million and a half, and I heard Dave Portnoy over at Barstool. That’s the biggest lie I ever heard. You know what that is? That means we kicked your but, we took what was ours, and now you gotta make up an excuse why.
“Ain’t nobody get no a million and a half. I wouldn’t pay my son a million-and-a-half on NIL. How am I gonna coach a guy making more than me?”
Sanders Prides Himself in the Speaking the Truth
So how did Sanders, aka “The Truth”, get Hunter to de-commit from a Power Five school?
“Honesty. Key, I’m straight-up, man. I shoot straight. I don’t lie, I don’t placate. I don’t promise your kids bells and whistles. I’m not gonna say ‘You’re gonna blow up on the internet.’ No, man, you gotta come in and put in work, do your job, and the rest is history,” Sanders said. “But you gotta work. I’m a straight shooter, my coaching staff did a phenomenal job on even getting it to that point so that I can come in and be me. But we just shot it straight. We just really, ain’t promised nothing that we can’t make happen.”
Coach Prime is soon headed to Atlanta with Jackson State to play in the sold-out Celebration Bowl against the South Carolina State University Bulldogs on December 18.
The bowl game comes after Jackson State (11-1) beat the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 27-10, in the SWAC Championship on December 4.
This is a huge accomplishment both for Sanders and the Tigers, who were just a 4-8 team before Sanders took over as head coach during the COVID-plagued 2020 season.
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