Pro Football Hall of Famer and Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders continues to push the envelope in his efforts to see HBCU programs receive the same respect as Power Five programs. While Sanders is all for the NIL deals and transfer portal, similar to Alabama head coach Nick Saban, he has some qualms about how it’s being utilized.
With no real restrictions or deadlines, players are attacking the portal like Serena Williams attacks the net in tennis, with absolute force. In a recent interview with 247 Sports, Sanders shared the same “pay for play” or free agency sentiments that Saban has constantly expressed.
“I love for these guys to be able to be paid for their name, image and likeness, but it’s becoming free agency, and if you don’t have it, you’re not going to be able to compete. It’s just another way, to me, to keep schools that don’t have the proper funding down. First of all, I’m not giving a kid nothing like that. I want you to focus on the NFL not NIL. If you ball out, you’ll prepare yourself for the NFL.
“If you get comfortable and you’ve already got a meal coming, man, c’mon, how hungry are you going to be to go out there and work and go get it? We can’t lose the fact these are young men, they’ve got to stay hungry and invested. When a kids says to me, ‘Coach, how about that paper?’ click.”
Sanders Comments Comes On The Heels Of Some Top Players Jumping In The Portal
The transfer portal is “hot as fish grease,” with more than 2,000 players at one point searching for greener pastures, which in many cases comes with lucrative NIL deals. One player who’s seeking those greener pastures is Pitt Panthers wide receiver Jordan Addison.
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