Fans express mixed reactions to Deion Sanders’ reported $5 million deal to coach struggling Colorado Buffs after three-year dominating run at Jackson State

Sources say Sanders and those close to him have been “making inquiries to both potential members of his on-field staff and support staff at Colorado,” ESPN reported. Sanders’ salary at Colorado would start at over $5 million per year — a nearly 40% pay raise, according to CBS News. 

The news of Sanders possibly leaving surfaced Friday night ahead of Jackson State’s Southwestern Athletic Conference title game against Southern University on Saturday, according to the ESPN report.

College football fans shared mixed reactions to Sanders leaving SWAC, a conference made up of HBCU sports teams. Sanders is often praised for bringing more mainstream attention to the conference in his three seasons coaching the Tigers.

Some criticized the former NFL star for using Jackson State as “a launching pad for his coaching career” while others congratulated him on the new Power 5 position.

The unofficial news has prompted questions about recruitment after a source told ESPN that Sanders encouraged a “prominent player” in the NCAA transfer portal to wait for his move to Colorado before committing to another school.

Similar concerns have been raised around Sanders’ son and Jackson State’s quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, potentially following his father to Colorado. In the past, Sanders didn’t deny the possibility of bringing his son along with him to another school.

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Under his leadership, the Tigers have remained undefeated in the 2022 season and Sanders won SWAC Coach of the Year in both 2021 and 2022, according to BET.

If hired, he would replace Karl Dorrell as the Buffaloes’ head coach. Dorrell had an 8-15 losing record during his three years in charge.

Colorado fired Dorrell in October and will buy out his contract for an estimated $8.7 million, according to CBS.

Sanders is said to be announcing his alleged departure from Jackson State after Saturday’s game.

“They weren’t exactly hiding anything,” a source told ESPN. “It seemed like it was a done deal.”