After a highly successful 27–5 tenure over three seasons at Jackson State, Tigers coach Deion Sanders has accepted the vacant coaching job at Colorado, the school announced on Saturday night.
Following Jackson State’s 43–24 throttling of Southern in Saturday’s SWAC title game to conclude a perfect 12–0 season, Sanders called a team meeting on campus to announce his decision to leave for Colorado.
“OK time for the nitty gritty,” Sanders began. “I know you all have been hearing the rumors and everything that has been transpiring about my whereabouts and what I’m going to do. I’d like you all to hear it from me and not from anyone else.
“In coaching, you either get elevated or you get terminated. … I’ve chosen to accept the job elsewhere next year. I’m going to finish what we started. We’re gonna dominate. I’m going to be here until that end and that conclusion and then upon that conclusion, I’m going to move on.”
According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Sanders is “still slated” to coach the Celebration Bowl on December 17 in Atlanta against NC Central.
Sanders will be tasked with quite the rebuild on Boulder, as he takes over for former coach Karl Dorrell, who was dismissed in October following two and a half seasons at the school. Dorrell was 8–15 at Colorado overall, and the Buffs finished 1–11 this season with a 1–8 record in the Pac-12.
