Even though we’re just one month into the college football season, the coaching carousel is in full swing with the recent departures of Scott Frost at Nebraska, Geoff Collins at Georgia Tech, and Herm Edwards at Arizona State.
Outside of the firings that have already taken place, the rumblings are getting louder at places like Michigan State and North Carolina with the clock seemingly ticking the fastest for Bryan Harsin at Auburn.
So, who’s the best candidate to take the next step in the coaching world? If you ask most college football analysts, one is right down the road at Jackson State.
In two years on the job, Sanders has put the historic HBCU program back on the map as one of the best in all of FCS football. The Tigers, who are coming off their first conference championship since 2007, are currently ranked No. 11 in the nation.
Following a weekend in which Georgia Tech lost its ninth FBS game in a row and Auburn barely squeaked by an objectively bad Missouri team, national outlets such as ESPN have linked Sanders’ name to both jobs.
On Tuesday’s episode of SportsTalk Mississippi, Ari Wasserman of The Athletic pitched in his thoughts on the matter, saying Sanders should wait it out even if he is offered either the Georgia Tech or Auburn job.
“If I’m Deion Sanders and I want to leave Jackson State or I want a bigger job, I don’t necessarily believe the stepping stone between that and a major job is necessary,” Wasserman said. “So, if I were him, I would probably take neither and stay at Jackson State, continue the successes – they have better players than everybody in their conference – continue to build something, and then become a candidate for a job that has less building to it.”
Although Wasserman was clear in his belief that Sanders should stay at Jackson State until the right opportunity presents itself, he did note that Georgia Tech would be a better situation for Sanders to go into rather than Auburn.
“From my standpoint, I would probably take the Georgia Tech job if I were him because I think the path to a conference championship is a little bit less bumpy, and the fact of the matter is that there’s a lot of talent in the state of Georgia,” Wasserman continued. “But the real answer is I would take neither and wait for a better opportunity to come along because it certainly will in the future.”
Sanders has previously been linked to other schools such as his alma mater in Florida State. Last year, it was revealed that the NFL Hall of Famer was actively campaigning to become the next head coach at TCU, a job that Sonny Dykes ultimately got.
The full interview with Wasserman can be watched below.
