The Deion Sanders Effect: Why Colleges Are Hiring Former Nfl Stars As Coaches

Fifteen years of catching passes and returning punts successful nan NFL made DeSean Jackson an authority connected moving a route.

But past December, erstwhile Delaware State hired Jackson arsenic its caput shot coach, he knew acold little astir moving a believe aliases a fund because, to that point, his coaching résumé included each of 1 play assisting astatine a Los Angeles-area precocious school. The domiciled didn’t hole Jackson for nan “million variables” he was soon addressing connected field successful Delaware, specified arsenic helping players get to class, raise their grades, find lodging and motion up for repast plans.

“As a caput coach, man, there’s truthful galore different things that I didn’t moreover recognize took place,” Jackson told NBC News.

For decades, landing a head-coaching occupation successful assemblage shot required climbing a profession ladder that usually started arsenic a low-ranking postgraduate assistant, past to a position coach, past a can’t-miss coordinator. Outliers were few.

Delaware State caput coach DeSean Jackson during nan yearly Red & White Scrimmage crippled successful Dover connected April 12.Saquan Stimpson / AP

Yet successful 2021, moreover though erstwhile NFL Hall of Fame moving backmost Eddie George had ne'er coached and initially was resistant to nan idea, he was hired by Tennessee State, successful nan belief that his nationalist name-brand credibility would energize imaginable players and donors and put its schoolhouse connected nan map. Weeks earlier George’s hire, Alabama State named Eddie Robinson Jr., an alumnus who had played successful nan NFL earlier going into broadcasting, arsenic its coach. And past winter, arsenic erstwhile NFL prima backmost Michael Vick took complete astatine Norfolk State, nan teammate he utilized to propulsion passes to pinch nan Philadelphia Eagles, Jackson, sewage nan connection from Delaware State.

Amid nan quickly changing economics of assemblage athletics, wherever shot programs typically make nan lion’s stock of an diversion department’s revenue, occurrence aliases nonaccomplishment successful specified jobs has far-reaching implications. Judging who is champion suited to tally a programme should beryllium viewed done nan criteria of not only really they would coach, but really they would enactment arsenic a main executive, George told NBC News.

“Just because you’re a play caller aliases position coach (and) you’ve been doing this for a agelong clip doesn’t needfully mean that you’re a awesome leader aliases caput coach,” said George, who, aft 4 seasons astatine Tennessee State, near this wintertime to coach Bowling Green State University aft besides interviewing pinch nan NFL’s Chicago Bears. “I deliberation that’s important. So you’re not needfully looking for a shot coach, you’re looking for a leader.”

When George and Jackson were mulling whether they could beryllium that type of leader, they each called nan 1 coach who they in installments pinch starting nan trend: Deion Sanders.

Eddie George, pictured during a crippled astatine Notre Dame successful 2023, near Tennessee State this wintertime to return complete Bowling Green.Michael Caterina / AP

A Hall of Fame protect backmost and returner who had mostly worked arsenic a tv commentator successful retirement, Sanders had spent a fewer years arsenic a coordinator astatine Texas precocious schools, coaching his sons, erstwhile Jackson State hired him arsenic coach successful 2021. Overnight, nan personage of a subordinate nicknamed “Prime Time” thrust a historically Black assemblage — conscionable for illustration Tennessee State, Delaware State, Norfolk State and Alabama State — that competed astatine nan second-highest level successful nan NCAA pyramid into mainstream relevance.

In Sanders’s first season, 9 games were played connected ESPN networks, and Jackson State attracted sponsorship pledges from firms arsenic ample arsenic Walmart and Gillette. Over his 3 seasons, Sanders brought successful his sons, including Shedeur, nan starting quarterback; stunned each of assemblage shot by signing nan nation’s apical recruit, Travis Hunter; and went 27-6, nan champion winning percent of immoderate coach successful nan school’s history.

In 2023, Sanders parlayed that occurrence into a higher-profile opportunity astatine Colorado, wherever his teams person sold retired a once-quiet stadium, produced a Heisman Trophy victor successful Hunter, and been arsenic overmuch a fixture of nan sport’s speech arsenic specified powers arsenic Alabama and Ohio State. (Colorado declined an question and reply petition for Sanders.)

His acquisition has had a downstream effect connected different coaches.

“I don’t deliberation I would person been successful this position without that,” Jackson said.

Though precedent for hiring a erstwhile subordinate who had ne'er coached earlier existed successful leagues for illustration nan NBA and MLB, it wasn't communal successful assemblage football. Only 4 years earlier Coastal Carolina named Joe Moglia its caput coach successful 2012, he had been nan main executive of TD Ameritrade. But moreover that nontraditional prosecute had a accepted background, arsenic Moglia had worked arsenic a assemblage adjunct for much than a decade earlier opening a profession connected Wall Street successful nan 1980s.

“It’s decidedly made it a small much socially acceptable to possibly prosecute a feline for illustration a Deion to say, ‘Hey, travel tally this, travel tally my programme without erstwhile caput coaching experience,’” said Maryland coach Mike Locksley, nan laminitis of nan National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches. “Because of nan occurrence he had there, (it) opened up nan doorway for much opportunities, and to me, that’s Eddie George astatine Tennessee State having a chance astatine Bowling Green."

“I deliberation that this has created different pathway, because you perceive a batch that there’s not capable coordinators aliases guys that person acquisition to beryllium caput coaches," he continued. "Well, we’ve seen different sports return erstwhile players and nan acquisition they sewage from playing would suffice them successful position of having immoderate experience, because they’ve been astir it astatine nan highest level. It conscionable gives america a full nother excavation of qualified group successful nan crippled of shot to propulsion from.”

In a athletics whose players are predominantly Black, but nan caput coaches are predominantly white, that campaigner excavation has historically been small. Although 57% of Division I players were nonwhite successful 2012, nan first twelvemonth successful which NCAA demographic information is available, conscionable 20% of caput coaches were nonwhite. In 2024, nan stock of nonwhite players had accrued to 65%, while nonwhite coaches made up 23% of their ranks. Those figures see historically Black colleges and universities.

In nan sport’s astir powerful conferences, nonwhite players accounted for 66% of nan roster spots past year, while nonwhite coaches accounted for 25%. In nan past 12 years, Black caput coaches person ranged from a debased of conscionable six (in 2012 and 2013) to a precocious of 10 (in 2020 and 2021).

Locksley had been a profession adjunct earlier New Mexico hired him successful 2009. The acquisition did him small good. He went 2-26 earlier being fired midway done his 3rd season.

“I was a grounded caput coach,” he said. “I often equate nan first caput coaching opportunity to nan aforesaid arsenic having your first kid arsenic a dad. You tin publication each babe book you want. You tin person nan room group up and but until that babe gets there, kicking, screaming and s---ing, you don’t really know, and you conscionable commencement reacting.”

In 2020, Locksley founded his coaches relation to equip number coaches pinch amended preparation. Through a programme dubbed its "academy," young coaches are paired pinch sitting diversion board and powerfulness brokers to statesman conversations astir nuances of nan apical occupation — deliberation budgets, media training and building "alignment" pinch a school's diversion director, schoolhouse president and committee of trustees. The knowledge is helpful, but possibly moreover much truthful is nan relationship.

Although nan NFL mandates that candidates of colour must astatine slightest beryllium interviewed for caput coaching and coordinator openings, nary specified nationwide analogue exists wrong nan NCAA, and knowing an administrator who tin vouch connected a coach's behalf is critical, aggregate coaches said. Representation is besides slow expanding successful an diversion department's area office; past year, retired of 67 diversion board successful nan NCAA's astir powerful conferences, 10 were Black, double nan number from 2013.

Of nan 11 number caput coaches who person been hired since Locksley created his association, 9 — including Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and Michigan’s Sherrone Moore — took portion successful nan academy.

If Sanders opened nan doorway for different nontraditional hires, whether nan inclination continues depends connected their success. George tried to trim his learning curve earlier his first play astatine Tennessee State by calling Sanders, who was coming disconnected his first play astatine Jackson State, but it still took 2 seasons earlier George felt he understood each of nan administrative, affectional and coaching components of nan job. Last fall, Tennessee State made its first playoff quality successful 9 years and won its first convention title successful 25 years.

Last winter, George called Sanders again while pursuing nan occupation astatine Bowling Green, which is not a historically Black assemblage and plays 1 level higher than Tennessee State connected assemblage football’s pyramid, to inquire astir really Sanders made nan modulation from Jackson State to Colorado.

“He’s been a very, very bully assets for maine connected my path,” George said. “OK, show maine nan way. Where are nan pitfalls at? Where are nan unsighted spots?”

Now nan scrutiny turns to Vick and Jackson. Their teams play connected Oct. 30 successful Philadelphia, wherever some were teammates pinch nan Eagles. Their appointments person already brought mainstream media exposure; a docuseries will follow Vick and Norfolk State done nan season.

Michael Vick was introduced arsenic nan caput coach of Norfolk State successful Norfolk, Va., connected Dec. 23. Mike Caudill / AP

“I wouldn’t opportunity it’s needfully ‘pressure,’” Jackson said. “You know, I do consciousness for illustration it’s a batch riding connected it.”

Regardless of a coach’s experience, what determines occurrence is pivoting quickly and learning connected nan job, “which astir of these guys who person played astatine nan highest level, they person and are utilized to being capable to fig things retired beautiful quickly,” Locksley said.

One statement for hiring a erstwhile NFL prima who lacks coaching acquisition is that while they whitethorn not person spent much, if any, clip connected nan sideline, they person nonstop entree to “a Rolodex of guys,” arsenic Jackson said, who have been successful successful coaching. In a full-circle moment, Vick this offseason called George, he said, to inquire galore of nan aforesaid questions George had asked Sanders only 4 years earlier.

Jackson, meanwhile, called Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay and coaches he played for successful nan NFL specified arsenic David Cully, Marty Mornhinweg and Andy Reid, nan Super Bowl-winning coach of nan Kansas City Chiefs, whom Jackson and Vick played for successful Philadelphia.

Jackson wanted their honorable opinions connected his prospects (it helped his determination to hear, “‘You’ll beryllium a hellhole of a coach,’” Jackson recalled) and to emulate really they related to players.

“The coaches that I respected nan astir are for illustration nan Andy Reids that was for illustration 2nd fathers to me,” Jackson said. “The biggest point for maine is where, man, I sewage an opportunity to thief alteration these kids’ lives. I mean, if these young dudes want to make it to NFL, hey, it’s not guaranteed everybody will make it. But 1 point you tin do is you tin springiness them nan information, and, you know, hopefully they’ll return it into what it’s worthy and use it to their lives.”

Jackson besides called Sanders. Accustomed to resource-rich NFL teams, Jackson wanted to cognize really astatine Jackson State he had navigated everything from providing for players connected a tight fund astatine a historically Black assemblage to managing relationships pinch his assemblage president.

“Deion helped hole maine for those,” Jackson said, “and conscionable benignant of gave maine proposal and saying, ‘You cognize what, if you person these obstacles here, these are group that you could astir apt telephone and talk to to benignant of thief get you done that process.’”