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By PAT GRAHAM
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — With signs pointing toward Deion Sanders becoming the next coach at Colorado, the school’s board of regents called a special meeting for Sunday.
Nothing is official yet regarding the Jackson State coach. The university hasn’t commented on any candidates taking over, either. But the scheduling of a regents meeting could be another signal that a coaching hire is imminent.
Same with this: Sanders and the team didn’t hold a postgame news conference after Jackson State beat Southern 43-24 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game Saturday. A SWAC official said the Tigers were heading to campus for a team meeting.
As other schools have filled their head coaching vacancies in the past week, with national signing day and the opening of the transfer portal fast approaching, Colorado has notably waited until championship weekend plays out.
he received an offer from Colorado. He also said he had been contacted by other schools. But he deflected any decisions regarding his future until after the end of the season.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer has been at Jackson State, a historically Black college that plays in the NCAA’s Championship Subdivision, since 2020. Sanders improved to 27-5 as coach at Jackson State. He recently was named SWAC coach of the year for a second consecutive season.
On the field after the game, Sanders announced: “We still have one more to go, and we will finish.”
The Tigers advanced to the Celebration Bowl for historically Black colleges on Dec. 17 in Atlanta against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion North Carolina Central.
Should he be hired by Colorado, turning around the Buffaloes could prove to be quite a challenge for the 55-year-old Sanders. The program has had one full-length winning season since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
The Buffs are coming off a 1-11 season in which Karl Dorrell was dismissed in October. Interim coach Mike Sanford finished out a season that culminated with a 63-21 blowout loss to No. 12 Utah at home.
The hiring of Sanders would bring instant name recognition and a track record of being able to recruit top-level talent. It has certainly energized the campus and the community, with a fan at a recent Colorado basketball game holding up a sign that read, “It’s Time 4 Prime.”
An All-American at Florida State, Sanders was a standout with five NFL teams, including the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, where he won a Super Bowl with each. He also played nine MLB seasons and reached the World Series with the Atlanta Braves in 1992.
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AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo, AP Sports Writer Gary B. Graves and AP Freelance Writer Tanner Marlar contributed to this report.
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