Jackson State University football coach Deion Sanders called out the NFL after 10 teams skipped his team’s pro day
According to ProFootballTalk (PFT), the former Dallas Cowboys cornerback said Monday he was pleased to see representatives of 22 NFL teams at Jackson State’s pro day, where NFL prospects who played at the school try out for teams. However, he was not happy that 10 teams skipped the event.
“That’s not gonna happen again. It’ll never happen again. I know for the pandemic year we got an excuse, but that’s not gonna happen again. My desire is seven to 10 players this year drafted, then we’ll try and double that, and then the sky’s gonna be the limit,” Sanders told NFL Network.
The coach has not been quiet about the lack of HBCU exposure when it comes to the NFL. Last year Sanders called out the NFL when no HBCU college football players were drafted. In February, the NFL held its inaugural HBCU NFL Combine and HBCU Legacy Bowl, a postseason bowl game featuring only HBCU football players.
Sanders wants more exposure not just for Jackson State’s players but for all athletes at HBCU football schools.
“I need at least four of our schools and their coaches represented, to bring the player they think is draftable, we’ve got to bring them to the draft. Because I want the kids to see it, I want them to feel it, I want them to touch it, I want them to witness it live, so they can say, ‘I can do that,’” Sanders said.
“NFL Network, come on, make it happen.”
Jackson State won the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) last season under Sanders, finishing the season with an 8-0 conference record and an 11-2 overall record, before losing the Celebration Bowl to South Carolina State.
Sanders shocked the recruiting world by convincing Travis Hunter, viewed by some as the single best player in this year’s recruiting class, to de-commit from Florida State University and attend Jackson State.