The Jackson State coach made clear that it’s not the only offer he’s received.
Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders confirmed a blockbuster report Monday, telling reporters on a conference call that he has received a job offer to be the new coach at Colorado.
“The report is true,” Sanders said, per Kyle T. Mosely of HBCU Legends, referring to a report by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports ahead of Saturday morning’s rivalry week slate.
Sanders said Monday that while Colorado has offered him the gig, other unidentified programs are still in the mix for his services. He did not say whether or not he’d accepted a new job, saying that his focus remains on this week’s SWAC championship game against Southern, according to Terrance Harris of Defender Network.
Feldman reported Saturday that he was told Sanders “has legit interest” in filling the Buffs’ vacancy and that Colorado is optimistic about its chances to pry him away from Jackson State. Sources previously told Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson that Sanders had interviewed for the gig at Colorado, but that the Pac-12 program had not given up on its pursuit of Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who is a Colorado alum.
The 2022 season has been one to forget for the Buffs. Colorado fired Karl Dorrell after an 0–5 start and then went 1–6 under interim coach Mike Sanford Jr. The Buffs closed out the campaign on Saturday with a 63–21 blowout loss to Utah.
Meanwhile at Jackson State, Sanders has turned the Tigers into one of the hottest teams in the country. Jackson State has gone 22–2 over its past two seasons, due in large part to Coach Prime’s efforts on the recruiting trail and on the sideline.
The Tigers are 11–0 in 2022 going into this weekend’s game against Southern. Kickoff for the SWAC Championship–and what could be Sanders’s last game at Jackson State–is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday in Jackson, Miss.