WATCH: "We won't forget it" - Deion Sanders calls out ten NFL franchises that didn't turn up for Jackson State's Pro Day
Like fellow 90s icon Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders will take that personally.
Sanders, an NFL legend-turned-head coach at Jackson State University, commemorated the team's Pro Day proceedings with a dire warning to the ten NFL teams that skipped out. Though keeping his trademark upbeat mood in a video shared by WBKO's Jeff Lightsy Jr., Sanders held back no punches when calling out the absentees, including Baltimore, Buffalo, Carolina, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay.
Coach Prime is a man of his word and calls out every #NFL team that wasn’t at the Jackson State Pro Day. https://t.co/orfG8IyF3y
Sanders, channeling his inner Shakespeare, said:
"Where art thou? You could've sent somebody, man, you could've shown up just a little bit. I guarantee you that you're going to go to Mississippi State and Ole Miss. I guarantee you you're going to show up there. I understand. You say they have more talent, I understand. Guess what? We're coming... and when we arrive, you better be here. You better be here. Because our kids deserve it. You could've sent a scout. You could've sent somebody. That's all I'm saying. We won't forget."
The head coach does take the time to thank the 24 teams that did show up to the event in Jackson, sending love and appreciation. Though Sanders mentions that 10 teams opted not to attend (the NFL consists of 32 teams), it's possible that other leagues could've sent representatives, including the upcoming USFL reboot that kicks off its ten-week season in Birmingham on April 16.
It's been hard to ignore the work Deion Sanders has done in Jackson
The professional and collegiate Hall-of-Famer took over the Jackson State program in 2020, previously serving in a coach's role at the high school football level in Texas.
After earning a 4-3 record in an abbreviated spring season (the program's first since 2013), the man known as "Prime Time" took the Tigers to those very heights. The team won a program-record 11 games and their first Southwestern Athletic Conference title since 2007.
He was bestowed the Eddie Robinson Award for his efforts, earned by the coach of the year at the Football Championship Subdivision level.
Why Not us! Why can’t we be blessed,promoted,endorsed & identified as game changers! Why not Jackson State University football Team. I BELIEVE! Do u ? https://t.co/aBfVHt2Zjk
Though the Tigers fell to South Carolina State in New Orleans' Celebration Bowl in December, Sanders has helped bring a significant amount of attention to the program, one of the most lauded Historically Black College/University football teams.
Notably, he and his staff were able to flip the commitment of touted defensive recruit Travis Hunter, the top prospect in the nation, over to Jackson from his alma mater of Florida State. It was a move seen by some as changing the paradigm of HBCU recruiting.
Though Jackson State has not had a player drafted in the NFL since 2008 (WR Jaymar Johnson, Minnesota), the school has produced four drafted Hall of Famers, including Lem Barney (Detroit, 1967), Walter Payton (Chicago, 1975), Robert Brazile (Houston, 1975), and Jackie Slater (LA Rams, 1976).