Deion Sanders is running a tight ship at Jackson State.
The Tigers football coach set expectations for his players as they returned to class this week, detailing how they should dress and where he wants them to sit.
“I want you to listen to me clearly and succinctly,” Sanders began as the Tigers gathered inside JSU’s newly renovated team room.
“No slides. No armpits exposed. No wife-beaters. Sit in the front of the classroom and be the perfect gentleman because when it comes down to it, and you need help, that professor is going to recall your character and who you’ve been consistently in that class,” he continued.
For Sanders’ crew, it goes way beyond that — with good hygiene, specifically.
“Now, make sure you shower before you go to class,” Sanders said. “I don’t want to get a report that you was in some bull-junk in our apparel, representing us. Kids in the back of class making noise, he’s free-styling to the whole class while I was trying to teach it with a Jackson State football shirt on. Not going to happen. When it gets back to me, it’s going to get back to your [position] coaches first, and then it’s going to get back to me. When it gets back to me, it’s going to be a problem.”
Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and former MLB outfielder, has carved out a niche as coach of the Tigers. The HBCU has gone 15-5 in his first two years at the helm. It’s paid off with recruiting coups and whispers that he may be ready for a bigger program.
For now, the 55-year-old and his collegiate charges are preparing for their Sept. 4 season opener against Florida A&M.