SWAC Football

Hue Jackson agreed to a four-year contract to become the new head football coach at Grambling State University on Thursday night, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The 56-year-old Jackson served as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Tennessee State University in 2021, but he is best known for his lengthy NFL coaching career.

Most notably, Jackson was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011 and the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018.

Grambling is one of the best-known and most successful historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) in football, having won 15 Black college national championships, the most recent of which came in 2016.

The Tigers have played in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) since 1958 and are a Division I team playing in the FCS.

Grambling struggled this season, going just 4-7, which led to the firing of head coach Broderick Fobbs after eight seasons at the helm.

There has been an increased focus and emphasis on HBCUs in recent years, especially after Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders became the head coach at Jackson State last year.

In his second season at Jackson State, Sanders led the team to an 8-0 conference record and 11-1 overall record in 2021, putting it atop the SWAC.

Grambling is undoubtedly hopeful Jackson can have a similar impact on its program after this season's struggles.

Jackson went 11-44-1 in three-and-a-half seasons as an NFL head coach, including records of 1-15 and 0-16 with the Browns in 2016 and 2017.

He has essentially seen and done it all in a coaching career that began in 1987 and included stops in both the NFL and college.

In addition to being a head coach, Jackson was the offensive coordinator at the University of California in 1996 and USC from 1997 to 2000. He later had stints as an OC with the Washington Football Team, Atlanta Falcons, Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals.

Jackson's name recognition and status as a former NFL head coach could go a long way toward helping Grambling on the recruiting trail, which is perhaps the biggest key to helping the Tigers return to the top of the SWAC.

Pro Football Hall of Famer and Jackson State football head coach Deion Sanders has led the Tigers to their first SWAC Championship since 2007 after his team beat Prairie View A&M 27-10 in the conference title game on Saturday.

Sanders is in his second season as Jackson State's head coach. The Tigers went 4-3 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign before rolling to a 11-1 mark this year.

The Jackson State program had fallen on hard times before Sanders' arrival, failing to register a winning season since 2013.

That's all changed under Sanders, who has now guided the Tigers to a 15-4 record over two years. Jackson State's defense has been tremendous in particular, allowing no more than 21 points all season.

The only time the Tigers allowed more than 17 points resulted in a 41-21 win over Texas Southern.

Jackson State has outscored its opponents 348-162 on the year, with its only loss occurring by a 12-7 score to Division I-FBS Louisiana-Monroe. The Tigers went undefeated versus fellow Division I-FCS opponents.

Thanks to its efforts, the Tigers entered Saturday No. 15 in the FCS Coaches poll.

The Celebration Bowl is next for Coach Sanders and his team, who will take on the MEAC champion South Carolina State. That game will go down on Saturday, December 18, in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. ABC will televise the matchup, which will begin at noon ET.

Deion Sanders is a two-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer, and he can now add another accomplishment to his resume.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports and The Athletic reported the SWAC named Sanders its Coach of the Year for the 2021 campaign after he directed Jackson State to a 10-1 record during the regular season.

The Tigers went 8-0 in conference play and won their first SWAC East Division title in eight years.

Jackson State made headlines when it hired Sanders as its head coach in September 2020.

After all, he played in the NFL from 1989-2000 and then returned from retirement for two seasons in 2004 and 2005. All he did was make eight Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams while lacing it up for the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Football Team and Baltimore Ravens.

While the football legend didn't have much coaching experience to fall back on, he has found immediate success.

The program's last winning season before hiring Sanders came in 2013, but it went 4-3 during his first campaign on the sidelines as a notable first step toward the success that would come this season.

Jackson State's only loss during the 2021 campaign came by five points in a September matchup with UL Monroe of the Sun Belt Conference. It finished its regular season with a senior day win over Alcorn State and will face Prairie View A&M in the SWAC Championship Game on Saturday.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders led the way with 2,971 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions through the air to go with three touchdowns on the ground. 

That the freshman signal-caller just so happens to be the head coach's son surely helped in recruiting, and the Sanders combination has the Tigers competing at a level they have not in the past.              

Boosie Badazz says he's enrolling at Jackson State after performing at the school earlier this month.

Deion Sanders, the Hall of Fame corner turned Jackson State coach, isn't buying it. 

"You're talking about a young man that's very astute with life," Sanders said on his 21st and Prime podcast. "Understanding what he wants to say, what he wants to accomplish. Smart as a whip. And energy level is unbelievable. And I know he said he wanted to enroll. I don't believe that whatsoever. But I think if there was a school that he would enroll at it, I think it would be Jackson State."

Boosie, the 39-year-old rapper, performed "Set It Off" at Jackson State's win over Alcorn State. While he was a high school dropout before becoming one of the defining southern rappers of his generation, Boosie earned his GED in 2013 while serving a prison sentence. 

"I've been coming to Jackson since I was 14, and I love y'all," Boosie said. "Y'all love my stanky drawers, and I love y'all back. And I just wanted to tell y'all that y'all always been supportive of me, and it's a big secret I was going to let it out, but I'm enrolling in Jackson State next semester."

It remains to be seen whether Boosie will actually enroll, but he would be far from he only famous face to give college a try later in life. Former NBA guard J.R. Smith is attending North Carolina A&T, where he is a member of the golf team. 

Deion Sanders is not happy with the way his Jackson State team handled itself at the end of Saturday's 21-17 victory over Southern.

There was a scuffle when some of the Tigers attempted to plant flags on the field of A.W. Mumford Stadium, and Sanders addressed the incident in an Instagram video.

"I want to formally apologize," he said. "We acted like idiots at the conclusion of the game. The gentlemen who thought it was proper to take flags out and plant them in the middle of the field were straight idiots. I want to apologize to all the fans, all the alumni, everybody associated with the Southern Jags. Hey man, that will never happen again."

The caption notably said, "That foolishness will not happen again on my watch."

Steven J. Gaither of HBCU Gameday shared a statement from the SWAC:

The Southwestern Athletic Conference is currently reviewing the incident which took place at the conclusion of the Jackson State at Southern football game. 

After a comprehensive review the Conference Office will make a determination regarding necessary next steps in accordance with the league’s constitution and bylaws. 

The Southwestern Athletic Conference upholds a high standard of good sportsmanship and any conduct deemed detrimental to those efforts will be handled appropriately.

Jackson State lost to Southern by 20 points in last year's matchup during Sanders' first season as the head coach. However, the 21-17 win on Saturday underscored the overall improvement for the program under the Hall of Famer's guidance.

The Tigers are 9-1 this season with their only loss coming by five points to a UL Monroe team that is in the Sun Belt with a schedule that includes matchups against Kentucky, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, LSU and Louisiana.

Sanders' squad is 7-0 in conference and will look to continue playing well when it faces Alcorn State in its regular-season finale.

The Tigers surely won't look to plant any flags in celebration if they win their eighth straight game.          

Pro Football Hall of Famer and Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders opened up about his recent hospitalization in a YouTube video titled "Lord I Thank Ya..." 

Sanders missed Jackson State's last three games after undergoing foot surgery and was released from the hospital Wednesday after experiencing complications from the procedure. 

"Lord, I thank you. I see you hear me say that, and you don’t know where that comes from," Sanders said in the video (h/t USA Today's Khari Thompson). "It’s a wheelchair right here, and I’m in that chair. Nevertheless, I say, Lord, I thank you. I can’t walk on my own, and people have to help me get in and out of everything, but I say, Lord, I thank you. It’s hard to even make it to the bathroom by myself without the assistance of others, but Lord, I thank you."

He added: "You have no idea what I've dealt with. ... You have no idea what the voices I've heard, you have no idea the pain I felt, you have no idea what I'm going through, and still Lord, I thank you. I hear you."

Sanders returned to Jackson State practices this week, but it's unknown if he'll coach Saturday's game against the Southern Jaguars. The Tigers went 3-0 under interim coach Gary Harrell, who said if Sanders doesn't return this weekend, he could return next week against Alcorn State. 

Sanders, 54, was announced as Jackson State's head coach in September 2020. The Tigers are 12-4 in his two seasons at the helm. However, his time with the team could come to an end soon. He interviewed for TCU's vacant head coaching job on Monday, per Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and is "squarely in the mix" for the position. 

SMU's Sonny Dykes, Louisiana's Billy Napier, Iowa State's Matt Campbell, and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott are also reportedly being considered for the TCU vacancy.  

Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has been released from the hospital after suffering complications from foot surgery. 

The Jackson State head football coach updated his status in an Instagram post on Wednesday: "As you know there have been some complications following my foot surgery, but it brings me such joy to tell you that I'm now out of the hospital and on my path that we started TOGETHER."

He added: "I promise you I'm going to be smart and continue to adhere to my wonderful team of doctors orders. ... Don't be surprised when you see me back on the field in a new whip."

Sanders, who has been at the Mississippi university since September 2020, announced on Sept. 22 that he underwent a procedure to fix an issue with his toe that stems from when he was playing football.

The six-time first-team All-Pro was able to coach Jackson State's next three games, but the school announced prior to its Oct. 23 matchup with Bethune-Cookman that Sanders had been advised by his doctors to rest. 

Running backs coach Gary Harrell took his place and continued to oversee the Tigers against Mississippi Valley State and Texas Southern. 

It's unclear at this point if Sanders will be back for the Tigers on Saturday when they travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take on Southern University. 

Jackson State currently leads the SWAC's East Division with a 6-0 conference record. The FCS program is 7-1 overall and can clinch a berth in the SWAC Championship Game with a win or a loss by second-place Florida A&M (7-2, 5-1) in either of the final two regular-season games. 

Sanders led JSU to a 4-3 record this spring in his first season as head coach. Its eight wins in 2021 is the most by the program in a single season since 2013 (8-4).    

Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders reportedly remains a candidate to fill the vacancy at TCU, according to Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram:

TCU is looking for a new head coach after parting ways with Gary Patterson last month. Jerry Kill has served as interim coach for the 4-5 squad.

Sanders is in his second season as head coach at Jackson State, leading the squad to an 8-1 record to start the 2021 campaign. 

A foot injury has kept Sanders off the sidelines, but his recruiting prowess has been especially notable for the FCS squad.

Jackson State had the No. 55 recruiting class in the country in 2021, per 247Sports, just two spots behind TCU. The class included Sanders' son, Shedeur Sanders, a 4-star prospect who has thrived for the HBCU program.

The quarterback has 2,414 passing yards with 23 touchdowns and three interceptions in nine games this season.

Deion Sanders' ability to turn Jackson State into an immediate winner could lead to more high-profile jobs. The former Hall of Fame player also has experience within Texas as a head coach at Trinity Christian School.

It could be a fit for TCU, which is looking to reestablish itself as a power in the Big 12 and nationally.

The Horned Frogs had 11 seasons with at least 10 wins under Patterson since 2002, but the team has struggled lately with just an 18-17 record from 2018-20.    

Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, has signed a name, image and likeness deal with Beats by Dre. 

The company announced Sanders' signing on Twitter: 

Per Lindsay Kimble of PEOPLE, Sanders is the first college athlete to be signed as a brand ambassador for Beats by Dre. 

Sanders was a high-profile recruit coming out of Trinity Christian School this year. He was rated as a 4-star prospect and No. 25 overall quarterback in the 2021 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

After initially committing to Florida Atlantic, Sanders had a change of heart. The 19-year-old announced in November that he would be attending Jackson State to play for his father. 

Deion Sanders was hired by Jackson State in September 2020. The eight-time All-Pro cornerback went 4-3 in his first season with the Tigers. 

Shedeur Sanders is the highest-ranked signee in Jackson State history. He is expected to be the team's starting quarterback in the season opener on Sunday against Florida A&M. 

Sanders is one of several players on the Tigers who will benefit from the new NIL rules this season. Defensive end Antwan Owens is believed to be the student athlete who signed the first NIL deal on July 1. 

A total of five Jackson State players, including Owens, have an endorsement deal with Three Kings Grooming.    

Jackson State football head coach Deion Sanders appeared in a public service announcement encouraging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine:

As Rashad Milligan of the Clarion-Ledger noted, the video was created to promote Walmart bringing a vaccination clinic to Jackson State's campus in Jackson, Mississippi, on Friday.

Sanders shared that he was fully vaccinated and expressed the importance of getting the vaccine, namely to keep people alive.

"One thing about this vaccination, it preserves life," Sanders said. "I want a chance to win. I want a chance to dominate. I want a chance to take this university and these young men and women to another level. How am I going to do that if I'm not here?"

Sanders' goal is to get as many people associated with the football team and the Jackson State student body vaccinated before they begin their 2021 regular season on Sunday, Sept. 5.

"Not just the persons on the team," Sanders said. "I mean the equipment team, the trainers, the support staff and as many of the students as possible. That's our goal. Life is everything. You can't win if you ain't in. Think about that."

Per the Mayo Clinic, Mississippi has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the United States with 44.8 percent of residents receiving at least one dose as of Saturday.

As for Sanders and his team, the Tigers will open its season at Florida A&M. They went 4-3 last year in the Pro Football Hall of Famer's first year running the show.