Deion Sanders is all set with his new team in Colorado on a deal worth $29.5 million over the next five years. Shaquille O’Neal is a big fan of Sanders, and he continues to show his support for the new head coach. Sanders made waves when he was the coach for Jackson State, turning them into one of the greatest stories in college football. He now hopes to do the same thing with Colorado who finished 1-11 last year, with some major plans to boost the team.
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The team upgraded their facility with Coach Prime’s arrival with renovations costing up to $156 million. Shaquille O’Neal was there once more to sing praises for Colorado. He put up pictures and videos of the new facility on his Instagram stories, and recently, he was back on Instagram to shout out Coach Deion once more. The NBA legend always has an eye out for sporting legends around the world, and the work that Sanders has done deserves attention.
On the other side, many believe that Sanders’ shift to Colorado comes with controversy. They claim that Sanders used Jackson State to get to Colorado and that he sold out for more money. However, fans on this side definitely have forgotten that Sanders took Jackson State to great heights and did everything in his power that he could.
Shaquille O’Neal continues to show support for Deion Sanders
Sanders is widely known for the cultural shift he brought to Jackson State, and it’s why he was such a sought-after commodity for the Colorado coaching job.
With Jackson State, Sanders took the team to heights they never thought they’d reach. In 2021, Sanders signed the highest-ranked recruiting class that the school had ever seen. The team went 11-1, and they won their first conference championship since 2007.
On National Signing Day, Sanders’ influence continued to shine, when the top-ranked prospect in the class of 2022 switched his commitment from Florida State to Jackson State.
Now, the college world is excited to see what Sanders can do with a Colorado team that will definitely need his help. Sanders has already begun to make moves too, bringing in the number one transfer class in the country. Additionally, he was able to bring in a top-21-ranked recruiting class.
Sanders is motivational and inspiring, and from time to time, he’ll post some motivational messages on his Twitter. Shaquille O’Neal saw one of these and promptly reposted it on his Instagram story.
Shaq shouting out Deion Sanders pic.twitter.com/1RdqjOSYmD
— NBA Baller (@NBABall25993987) June 8, 2023
Sanders has a long road ahead with Colorado
Sanders’ biggest factor in turning the Jackson State team around was that he wasn’t solely focused on winning games. He wanted to bring more than just wins to a team, he wanted to bring a culture, an identity.
That’s exactly what he’s looking to do with Colorado as well. “It’s not just about football. It’s about bringing people together, it’s about uniting people,” Sanders explained, as per on3. “All ethnicities, all social climates. It’s not just about football. People get so caught up in the Ws and Ls. We’re going to win some games. But we’ve got to make sure these kids are winners on and off the field and amongst the community. I don’t care what ethnicity they are. We just want to bring people together and give them hope.”
We’ll have to see just how far Sanders can take this Colorado team, but if the past is any indication, then Colorado definitely has a winning and culturally stellar coach on their side.
