Deion Sanders becoming the coach of Colorado has made huge news, and caused some debate on whether he was a sellout or not. That's what I hear anyway, because it seems to me like most people think it was a good move for him.
Sanders did make the right move. Going to Colorado has given him a huge salary, as he signed a deal with a base salary of 29.5 million over five years, plus incentives. His 5.9 million per year in base salary is a lot more than the 300,000 he was getting at Jackson State. Colorado also gives Deion a much higher ceiling in terms what can happen in the best case scenario. For him to see how far he could go in coaching, he had to leave to coach at a higher level. Jackson State was simply too small for someone as big as Coach Prime. That is part of why this a bad sign for HBCUs, and those that were hoping that this would lead to some revolution in college football. Deion didn't just leave for a power five school, but he left for one without a recent history of winning. Colorado has been really bad since the mid 2000s, and Sanders will face an uphill climb trying to turn it around. A team that was 1-11 last season. Still even a low level Power Five school like Colorado is well ahead of the best HBCU. How could some people expect Deion to stick around out of some loyalty to the race, when Colorado gave him a much better opportunity for a lot more money? How can that be expected of other coaches, and if how are HBCUs going to be at a similar level to the top college football teams. Part of the backlash from Sanders leaving is JSU, are from people who had unrealistic expectations. Most people knew he was going to leave for a Power Five school, and he wasn't going to stay at Jackson State for the long term.
As far as his chances of success, I'm not that sure of that. While at Jackson State Deion a huge advantage in recruiting. He made Jackson State a go to spot, as he brough extra attention, and some of his celebrity friends to see the team. He made Jackson State an attractive option for many black football players, and he was going against a bunch of schools, but most fans don't care too much about. He won't have that same edge in the Pac 12, where there are other programs who will offer players a great opportunity to set themselves up for the next level. How successful can Sanders be without that huge recruiting edge?
