Deion Sanders has previously made headlines for his high profile recruiting as a football coach at Jackson State University. Now the former superstar is making waves with the coaches he brings in to help shape his program. Sanders recently tapped former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer to serve as an analyst for the JSU program, though no formal hiring announcement has been made by the school. Still, Zimmer recently met the team and is excited to help Coach Prime.
“He asked me the question many times. The salary is not good,” Zimmer told Thee Pregame Show. “But I love Deion and I would do anything for him.”
Zimmer and Sanders are longtime friends who worked together in Dallas in the 1990s when Sanders was a star player for the Cowboys and Zimmer was a defensive assistant for the franchise. Now, having continued that relationship over the years, Zimmer has grown optimistic about what Sanders can accomplish as the former NFL star enters his third season at the helm of the program.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Zimmer said. “If some people donated to him and his football program, there would be no stopping him. He would be competing with the Georgias and the Alabamas and everybody across the country.”
Zimmer received a phone call from Sanders during a press conference in November last year during his final season with the Vikings. Other Jackson State staffers, such as Dennis Thurman and Jeff Weeks, have NFL assistant experience, but Zimmer stands out for his eight years as a top-level head coach.
Zimmer, 66, served as a Cowboys assistant from 1994 to 2006, covering the entirety of Sanders’ five-year stint with the franchise from 1995 to 1999. After serving as defensive coordinator for the Falcons and Bengals, Zimmer moved on to coach- head of the Vikings in 2014. He was fired as Vikings coach at the end of the 2021 season.