Schools reap benefits of hiring Coach Prime, George
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Deion Sanders has been all over national TV, putting Jackson State in the spotlight every time his insurance commercials air.
Hiring Eddie George has had a similar effect at Tennessee State.
Thanks to their highprofile coaches, Jackson State and Tennessee State are reaping benefits from bigger crowds and more interest from top recruits to companies wanting to tap into all the hype, making deals with both universities and players under the new name, image and likeness rules.
Just as university officials hoped.
“It’s just reestablishing our football brand that was so dominant for many decades and just restoring that,” Tennessee State athletic director Mikki Allen said of George. “He’s been everything that I could ask for in a head coach.”
Allen said Tennessee State’s enrollment already is up, and four-and fivestar recruits are looking closely at George and the
Tigers. Tennessee State hosted 317 recruits one weekend.
Tennessee State has had corporate interest from companies including The General, Best Buy and bottling sponsor Coca-Cola. A six-figure gift from trucking company Western Express started a new weight room project for the indoor complex.
The Tigers also have partnered with OpenDorse to help athletes who’ve signed deals with restaurants, vendors, barbershops and cell phones on handling name, image and likeness issues. Allen said brands wanting to tap into George’s star power is transferring to his players.
“There’s a lot of brands who want to be connected, obviously, to our head coach,” Allen said. “But then I think a lot of that star power that he has has transferred over to our student athletes in the sport of football.”
The Southwestern Athletic Conference, home to Jackson State, ranked 17th nationally through Oct. 31 among leagues for NIL deals tracked by OpenDorse.
The SWAC also will be looking at both attendance and TV ratings to see how that might translate into new packages and more money.
“Deion Sanders coaching has brought more notoriety from a Jackson State perspective,” SWAC Commissioner Charles McClelland said. “Clearly, the conference benefits because if they are looking at Jackson State playing another institution, that other institution continues to get that benefit as well.”
Attendance is also up. With Sanders, Jackson State averaged 41,633 at home games this season. That’s a jump of 6,605 per game from 2019, the last full season before the pandemic and a year before Jackson State hired Sanders in September 2020.
Sanders’ son and starting quarterback, Shedeur, got his own endorsement deal with Beats by Dre. On the field, Sanders has Jackson State (10-1) playing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game on Dec. 4. Tennessee State (5-6) just wrapped up its season.