The Jackson State Tigers football team is at the top of SWAC East, just days away from the title game against the Southern University Jaguars. JSU will enter the matchup with a team spearheaded by the SWAC Coach of the Year, SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, and SWAC Freshman of the Year. Clearly, they are doing well, however, fans believe it was Deion Sanders who nudged the program in the right direction.
Advertisement
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one such fan shared a snapshot of the SWAC East standings, where Deion Sanders’ former team dominates, and second-place Florida A&M is far from catching up. JSU is undefeated in the SWAC (8-0), with an overall 10-2 record. Very Impressive! The netizen named Charlie, who shared the screenshot, claims that it’s Deion’s doing, whatever state JSU finds itself in.
Refuting all the criticism Sanders faced for leaving an HBCU program and moving to Colorado, Charlie says, “Deion doesn’t leave a team to crash and burn, he builds them up and they maintain success.”
2 years after Coach Prime left Jackson state they are 10-2, undefeated in conference, and the 1 seed in the SWAC.
Deion doesn’t leave a team to crash and burn, he builds them up and they maintain success. pic.twitter.com/x7sYXWhCor
— Bravo Charlie (@BravoCharlie222) December 2, 2024
While it’s been two years since Deion left for Boulder, and it took a year and a 7-4 record (third in SWAC East) for JSU to return to the top, fans surprisingly agree that Deion is the catalyst for this success. Or, should we say, not so surprisingly? Either way, fans are adamant that Sanders laid out the “blueprint” that became the team’s success, and things like these are being suppressed by the media.
“Blueprint was laid out, all JSU had to do was follow the blueprint. Glad TC got them boys rockin still,” one such fan wrote.
Blueprint was laid out, all JSU had to do was follow the blueprint. Glad TC got them boys rockin still
— DonovanCO (@DonovanCUMedia) December 2, 2024
shhhhhhhhhh this doesn't go with their narrative.
— MeineName (@Cr8iveDev) December 2, 2024
Some fans, however, only partially agree that Deion had anything to do with where JSU is today.
TC built his own team, but I'm sure 2.5 years of being one of the most talked about football programs in the nation helped a lot with recruiting.
— LQII (@lawrenceq) December 2, 2024
Several of them, meanwhile, weren’t on the same page about Deion taking the JSU program to the top. They pointed out that the now-Colorado head coach took all the top players from his former school to Colorado when he moved, essentially crippling the program. They also added that it was head coach TC Taylor who got the program out of that pit and led JSU back to the top. Not Deion.
Deion left and took all the players and coaches with him now he didn’t leave us to crash/burn
— Chicken (@ToniMontana06) December 3, 2024
I’m sorry Deion had nothing to do with JSU success those 60 plus of players Deion coached left this is all TC Taylor PERIOD
— John Matthews (@JohnMatthe33894) December 2, 2024
This is the TC Taylor Era… has nothing to do with Sanders. We wish him well at CU though.
— Brandi 💗✨ (@ImJustBrandi) December 3, 2024
If TC Taylor wins the title game next Saturday, something Sanders, too, achieved in his second year, the current head coach will be able to step out of the shadow of his predecessor.
The hotly anticipated matchup will kick off at 1 p.m. at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. You can tune in on ESPN to catch it from the comfort of your home.
