Well…the cats is out of the bag now. On Monday Jackson State’s Coach Prime officially interviewed for the TCU job and was very impressive according to reports. It was over a Zoom call but the search committee for the Horned Frogs were very delighted with what they saw. Coach Prime is now “in the mix” for that job.
Unfortunately, the JSU and HBCU faithful are disappointed to hear this news because Coach Prime was doing a great job of bringing exposure to Jackson State which in turn was shining a light on all HBCU’s.
In just one year in Jackson he’s signed the No.1 recruiting class in the SWAC and had one of the best in FCS. He’s generated more than $185 million in advertising and exposure for JSU. Jackson State is ranked No. 2 in HBCU for their social media presences. He secured custom suits for JSU Football team players with the help of former TSU alum and fellow Hall of Famer Michael Strahan. They’ve got new practice fields and locker rooms etc.
He’s also been instrumental in a historic NCAA NIL (name, image, and likeness) deal. Most importantly, he’s increased the visibility of JSU and other HBCU schools on ESPN every Saturday. They weren’t getting that type of exposure on national television before Coach Prime landed in Jackson.
His presence alone has given not only Jackson State a shot in the arm but all HBCU’s. We’ve seen record crowds at JSU games this season where the Homecoming attendance of 53,578 was the largest HBCU Homecoming in history. Not to mention that the Tigers are winning and are currently 8-1 and ranked No.15 among all FCS schools.
Coach Prime in one year has delivered far more than anyone expected for the $300K he was being paid. As much as folks want to be mad that Deion is looking for greener pastures this early in his JSU coaching career. You really can’t be upset because JSU is winning too. Look at the amount of excitement surrounding this university. Students from all over the country are now more interested in JSU than ever before. The buzz is incredible!!! It’s business and the return on investment was tremendous even if it was for only one year. That was the best $300K ever spent.
I just wish that he would have at least waited until the season was over to interview for another job. At least show the kids that much respect because many of them came to JSU to play for him. Stop me when I start lyin’!
