Jackson State stunned the college football world in September when it hired NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders to lead its football program. The player known as "Prime Time" got his first prime recruit on Friday afternoon, and it's somebody he knows well.
Sanders' son, four-star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, announced on Twitter that he has flipped from Florida Atlantic and changed his commitment to the Tigers.
"I couldn't pass up an opportunity to help level the playing field & pursue equality for HBCU's," Shedeur Sanders wrote. "Dad I got your back!"
The younger Sanders has star written all over him. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound pro-style passer out of Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas, is the 14th-ranked pro-style quarterback and No. 229 overall player in this season's recruiting class. He threw for 8,796 yards and 123 touchdowns, and rushed for 226 yards and 11 touchdowns during his first three years of high school from 2017-19. Cedar Hill won state championships in all three of those seasons.
He has drawn rave reviews from scouts on the recruiting trail.
"Highly productive and a winner with a pair of state championships to his name," wrote Greg Biggins, national recruiting analyst for 247Sports. "Athletic frame, moves well and can extend plays. Does a nice job making that initial pass rusher miss, doesn't panic and shows poise and calmness in the pocket. Has dual-threat ability and can pick up bug chunks of yards with his legs but doesn't take off and run as much as you would expect. Has enough arm strength to get the ball down the field and shows nice touch on his deep ball. Can tighten his release a bit but has some solid tools that project well to college. Upside is an impact upper tier Power 5 starter and potential NFL draft pick."
He is the first four-star commitment in Jackson State's class, which also includes three-star defensive tackle Braezhon Ross and three-star athlete Herman Ross. All five of those players committed to the Tigers after Sanders was hired on Sept. 21.