Deion Sanders has indicated where he plans to coach in 2023 will be known by Sunday; Coach Prime’s Jackson State Tigers play today in the Southwestern Athletic Conference title game.
Sources throughout the week have indicated to FootballScoop that Sanders is expected to accept the head coaching post at the University of Colorado, which earlier this season fired Karl Dorrell. Sanders himself confirmed he had received an offer from the Buffaloes, and he insisted that was not his only option to leave Jackson State to be a head coach elsewhere.
Coaches at both the collegiate and NFL levels have told FootballScoop this week that Sanders has been working to find potential new staff members and also “he’s trying to help potentially find his replacement at Jackson State.”
Sanders highly regards and remains in close contact with Willie Simmons, the current Florida A&M head coach who also previously served as head coach at Prairie View A&M and prior to that as Alcorn State’s offensive coordinator. Sources told FootballScoop Sanders is very interested in adding Simmons to his offensive staff.
Additionally, sources told FootballScoop this week that Sanders is expected to target veteran Power 5 assistant Charles Kelly to serve as his defensive coordinator.
Currently Alabama’s assistant defensive coordinator and safeties coach, Kelly also has previous stints at Florida State, Georgia Tech and Tennessee, among others.
Kelly has a direct tie to a key member of Sanders’s current staff: Tim Brewster. Both Brewster and Kelly were together for several seasons on Jimbo Fisher’s Florida State staff.
Sources stress to FootballScoop Sanders will not reach out to candidates until such time as he has accepted the position.
A coach at a prominent high school program told FootballScoop this week that Sanders had been on a recruiting call with one of the coach’s players and had told the recruit not to make a commitment or sign anywhere until he saw what Sanders was going to do.
All signs have pointed toward Sanders accepting Colorado’s offer, which FootballScoop was told would average more than $5 million per season – matching additional reports along similar lines. The job was believed to be down to either Sanders or Tom Herman, and Herman earlier this week accepted the Florida Atlantic University job.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest coaching news.