2 Former NFL Stars Reportedly Joining Deion Sanders' Staff
NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 02: (L-R) Maria Menounos, Deion Sanders, Rocsi Diaz, and Terrell Owens attend DIRECTV'S Seventh Annual Celebrity Beach Bowl at DTV SuperFan Stadium at Mardi Gras World on February 2, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images For DirecTV)
After missing out on the Florida State job, Deion Sanders said he'd be a college football coach "next year." On Monday, his prediction came true, when he was announced as the head coach at Jackson State.
According to a new report, he won't be the only NFL legend on the staff either. Not by a longshot. Joe Cook, sports director at 16 WAPT News in Jackson, Miss., reports that two other all-time greats are joining up as position coaches.
Terrell Owens, a Hall of Famer who starred for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, will coach wide receivers. Warren Sapp, one of the most successful defensive linemen in NFL history, will be the Tigers' defensive line coach.
Per the report, Jason Phillips, a former All-American at Houston and staff members at Baylor, Houston, SMU, Kansas, Oregon State, and most recently, Utah State, will be Sanders' offensive coordinator. Dennis Thurman, a coach with extensive NFL experience, will run the Jackson State defense. Thurman served as Sanders' defensive backs coach during the legendary cornerback's final NFL stop with the Baltimore Ravens.
Mario Edwards Sr., who Deion Sanders has pegged for defensive backs coach, is a former Florida State Seminole like his new boss. He served as director of player development at Florida State from 2012-19.
TC Taylor was Jackson State's offensive coordinator before the coaching change, and was being considered for the head coaching job according to the school.
Jackson State is an FCS-level HBCU, and now it has about as much NFL experience as any college coaching staff out there.
Landing "Coach Prime" doesn't mean that the Tigers will necessarily turn things around after six years without a winning record. It does make the team among the most intriguing in all of college football. There are few more exciting personalities in the history of the sport than Deion Sanders. If his flashy "Prime Time" entrance at Jackson State is any indication, we'll be watching.
Update: Deion Sanders says that the report, which has been confirmed by other outlets including FootballScoop, is "absolutely wrong."
In addition, Warren Sapp has reportedly said he is not joining the staff. We'll have more as it comes out.
