It's About Time For Primetime In Clifton

The Bearcats should go all in on one coaching candidate to replace Luke Fickell.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Updated:
Nov 29, 2022 10:09 AM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — It's Primetime Season in Cincinnati.

UC football should waste no time going all in on the best option to be the program's 44th head coach: Deion Sanders.

The former Cincinnati Reds player has all the makings of the next great college coach after building up the Jackson State program from scratch and bringing in major talent along the way.

During three seasons at the helm of Jackson State, Sanders has compiled a 26-5 record. He finished the 2022 regular season 11-0, recording the first undefeated season in program history.

He is exactly the type of big name and personality that can keep the momentum rolling in Clifton.

"We're going to need somebody that can recruit at a really high level," Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham said on Sunday. "We're going to need somebody that understands the NIL (name, image and likeness) space and fully grasps that. That's going to be really, really important. We're going to need somebody that can build a tremendous staff and somebody that understands the level of play and the dynamic offenses and defenses that you're going to see in the Big 12."

Sanders checks all of that criteria and has built an impressive staff at his current HBCU home. His coordinators all have a diverse background, from up-and-coming gurus (OC Brett Bartolone) to entrenched football lifers (DC Dennis Thurman, nine years in NFL).

He's adjusted well to coaching turnover since finding success at Jackson State and has the number one thing needed to succeed at the Power Five level: recruiting prowess.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer has signed six four-star talents over the last two years—while also bringing in the No. 2022 recruit in five-star cornerback Travis Hunter. All of this is at a school where these players have zero shot to play for a national title.

The promise of early playing time and top-tier development by Sanders and his staff has been enough. Imagine what he could do with the fanbase momentum and finances of a Big 12 upstart?

Sanders has also added major talent from the transfer portal. Last year, JSU ranked 53rd among all schools nationally in 247Sports's transfer rankings.

They added nine former three-star players or better from Power Five Schools. A year earlier, Sanders brought in 12 (!!!) three-star or better Power Five transfers, including James Houston who just had a huge game for the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. He may not be in the league without Primetime's coaching acumen and advice.

As of today, Colorado is the only reported school that's offered Sanders a contract.

Zooming out and projecting the next 10 years, UC should be able to blow the Buffs out of the water in comparison. The Big 12 is much more stable than the PAC 12. Both are cold-weather destinations, but Cincinnati offers more lifestyle options and has a hungrier fanbase posting its 11th-straight sellout this past weekend.

“Yeah, definitely the report is true,” Sanders told reporters on Monday when asked about the Colorado job. “They’re not the only ones. The report is true. I’m not going to sit in here and tell all my business, but they’re not the only ones. And I would be a liar if I told you they didn’t. You know they did. I know they did. Everybody there know they did. So it is what it is.”

Folsom Field just had 33,374 fans attend the season finale against Utah. That marks the first time since the 2014 finale that Folsom attendance has been under 35,000. The once-great program is in a nadir—they've had one five-plus win season in the past decade. He'd enter a bare cupboard in Boulder, while Cincinnati's pantry is pretty well-stocked.

Sanders understands what top-tier talents need because he's lived that lifestyle for 30-plus years. Cincinnati should pursue a head coach that can wow in the living room, build a great staff, and be flexible to challenges in the Big 12.

“That’s not my focus right now,” Sanders said about his offers. “My focus is to win and to be dominant and then to not even go on to the Celebration Bowl. My focus is right here in this beloved stadium to be dominant on Saturday. That’s my focus, and I keep the main thing the main thing. And everyone that knows me know that about me. I have an innate ability to focus and keep the main thing the main thing.”

His team battles for the Southwestern Athletic Conference Football Championship this Saturday. Primetime checks all the boxes and doesn't have much (publicly known) high-level competition for his services.

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