Deion Sanders named head football coach at Colorado: Has he ever coached before? Where?

With the news that the former Dallas Cowboys star will now be taking on the coaching job at Colorado University, we’re taking a look at where he was before and what he achieved while there.

Deion Sanders to coach Colorado’s Buffaloes

As we saw on Sunday, the University of Colorado’s athletic director, Rick George, named Deion Sanders as the full-time head football coach. Of course, the move follows more than a week of speculation with Sanders himself confirming last Monday that he had in fact been offered the Colorado job. Interestingly, Sanders also said that he had been contacted by other college football programs, but he gave no further details as to who they were. Sanders’ arrival is of great consequence for a program that has had five head coaches since 2018. Indeed, Colorado has only made two bowl appearances since 2008 and has only played for a Pac-12 title on one occasion since moving to the conference in 2011.

It was Mike MacIntyre, who was fired following a six-game losing streak after starting the 2018 campaign 5-0. Up next, was quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper, who served as interim head coach for the final game of the year. Roper was then followed by Mel Tucker, who spent just one season with Colorado in 2019, but went 5-7 before handing in his resignation in order to take the same job at Michigan State. Karl Dorrell managed to hold on for two entire seasons, but was ultimately dismissed in October after starting the season with a 5-0 record. Lastly, we saw Mike Sanford step in on an interim basis for the final seven games in 2022, after Dorrell was shown the door. The Buffaloes finished this season 1-11, which is tied for the worst single-season record in the program’s history. Needless to say, Sanders’ arrival brings with it hope and expectation.

Where was Deion Sanders coaching before?

Regarding where the former star corner back has been before, Sanders is actually bringing the curtain down on a successful three-season run at Jackson State University. Hired back in September of 2020, he guided the Tigers to an impressive 27-5 record and back-to-back SWAC championships. To punctuate the point, the Tigers’ 12 wins this season broke the previous record of 11, set in 2021 (11-2). Quite frankly, they’re on the verge of achieving their first perfect season in the program’s history if they can win the Celebration Bowl.

Interestingly, Sanders told his players of his decision following their win over Southern in the SWAC Championship Game on Saturday, before stating he will “finish what we started.” That would seem to indicate that he intends to remain with the team through the Bowl game which they will play against North Carolina Central on December 17th. In contrast, reports have also suggested that Sanders has already begun recruiting for his new team, with an alleged call to a “prominent player in the NCAA transfer portal.” Word is, Sanders has encouraged him not to make any decision until he’s settled at Colorado and can recruit him. We get the feeling the Buffaloes are in good hands.