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Deion Sanders in the running for TCU job

Fred Jeter | 11/18/2021, 6 p.m.
Deion Sanders’ coaching stint as Jackson State University has been sweet. But will it also be short?
Jackson State University Coach Deion Sanders watches from the sidelines on his motorized scooter during his team’s Oct. 16 game against Alabama State University in Jackson, Miss. Since then, Coach Sanders has been hospitalized and missed three games. He returned to the sidelines last Saturday using a motorized wheelchair. Photo by Eric Shelton/The Clarion-Ledger via AP

Deion Sanders’ coaching stint as Jackson State University has been sweet.

But will it also be short?

Sanders was among those interviewed last week for the vacant football head coaching job at Texas Christian University, a Big 12 affiliate in Fort Worth, Texas, 33 miles west of Dallas.

“Coach Prime”—short for “Prime Time”—as Sanders has come to be known, made the cut for a second interview in the near future, according to various reports.

Time is of the essence. TCU wants to make a selection well before the Dec. 15 early-signing period for high school athletes.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Sanders is “squarely in the mix” to replace Gary Peterson, who recently was let go after 21 seasons and 181 wins.

Already, Sanders has received an endorsement from TCU star running back Zach Evans, who tweeted “We want Deion Sanders.”

The tweet was “liked” by numer- ous other Horned Frogs players and alumni.

Others in contention for the head coaching job might be University of Nevada-Reno Coach Jay Norvell and Clemson University offensive coordinator Tony Elliott.

In the meantime, Sanders, despite recent health issues, is orchestrating an outstanding season at SWAC affiliate Jackson State, which is ranked 17th in this week’s Football Championship Subdivision, or FCS, poll.

At 9-1, the Tigers are very much in contention for the SWAC title and a berth in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 18 in Atlanta.

Riding a motorized wheelchair, Sanders returned to the sidelines last Saturday for Jackson State’s 21-17 win over Southern University in New Orleans. He wore headphones to communicate with the assistant coaches in the press box.

Sanders’ son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, is among the many high-end recruits his famous father has brought to the Mississippi campus. He also has brought considerable national attention. He is featured, along with the Jackson State band and cheerleaders, in an Aflac insurance television commercial with Alabama Coach Nick Saban.

The NFL Hall of Famer’s health has been a question in recent weeks. Sanders was hospitalized for complications from foot surgery and missed three games before returning to the sidelines last Saturday.

Sanders made a four-minute video on Nov. 12 in which he spoke of his religious convictions and the difficult healing process associated with his setback.

A native Floridian, Sanders has links to the greater Dallas area. He played for the NFL Dallas Cowboys from 1995 to 1999, helping them to win the 1996 Super Bowl.

Also, he coached at Trinity Christian School near Dallas from 2017 until 2020, when he became Jackson State University head coach. His Tigers were 4-3 in last spring’s abbreviated season.