Deion Sanders lends voice to fight for Florida high school coaches

Deion Sanders has a heart for athletics. As a tri-sport competitor and NFL Hall-of-Famer, the love runs deep, but especially in Florida. It's evident with Coach Prime's recent wave of transfers from the Sunshine State to Boulder.

The FSU alum spoke out about a subject that hits home for him. While he's not in Florida or subject to the lack of resources, Sanders feels the pain due to a lack of funding for high school football programs within the public schools system. It's terrible circumstances down in Florida, to say the least.

"The State of Florida should have the Highest Paid High school football coaches in the country because of the development of the number of players they feed colleges throughout the country," Sanders tweeted. "It's a shame but God bless these coaches because they love the kids regardless."

Deion's not lying about the amount of talent coming from Florida. As of 2022, Ron DeSantis' state has consistently produced the most blue chip recruits, with Texas, California, and Georgia left in the dust. So, why not protect the top-tier status and secure the investment by keeping good coaches in Florida?

The average football coach at a Florida high school is well-underpaid and below minimum wage standards. How bad is it? Around $3,400 per year. This figure is among the worst in the nation and the outlier compared to other states with similar competition. Keep in mind that this is subject to the budget allowed by the state, which is set extremely low in about 83 percent of the districts. Also, the reasoning behind it all seems illogical. According to Florida's Office of Policy and Budget (OPB), the allocation isn't dependent on being a full-time position but rather supplemental for teachers and other school officials.

I would like to give a person a shout out to all the high school football coaches in the state of Florida. I know there are times you say what the hell am I doing this for. Dealing with Unloyal players lying parents can take a toll on you. On top of it you make $900 supplement a…
— Luther Luke Campbell (@unclelukereal1) August 1, 2023

One of the coaches affected by this has taken on the challenge in the Miami-Dade area. Luther Campbell might be known around the world as a trailblazer in the world of Hip Hop as the founder of '2 Live Crew'. But these days, "Uncle Luke" is responsible for giving kids a future on and off the field at Miami Edison Senior High. As one of Sanders' longtime friends, Campbell is also using his voice to bring attention to the inadequate pay scale for Florida coaches, including himself.

"It's not fair in the slightest," Campbell told BuffsBeat. "We're the ones helping to send these kids off to a better situation with nothing really to work with. It needs to change, and that starts with Governor DeSantis. We've consistently turned out top athletes, some of the best in the country, and still make about thirteen dollars per day. How is that possible? We should be doing better."

USA Today examined a wide list of Florida schools and what they pay football coaches earlier this year. Some double as athletic directors with a minimum base salary. According to the data, "Escambia County is at the top of the pay scale for head coaches ($7,382) while Broward County is at the bottom ($3,038). Assistant coaches in Okaloosa County receive $5,374, which is the highest in the state; Monroe County assistant coaches are at the low end at $1,550 a season."

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Campbell calls on DeSantis, along with US Senator Mark Rubio (R-FL), and others to fix the broken system. It'll take some action by the elected officials to raise budgets, but considering what's at stake, those in Florida could be life-changing on all fronts. If the state has been at this level without any gain for coaches, imagine if the cycle is fixed. Florida will remain a hotbed, and coaches need to be paid what they deserve.

"I had two players leave with million-dollar NIL deals, and none of us are making a fraction of that," Campbell said. "We're literally responsible for making sure these kids are successful and can barely do anything for ourselves. We as coaches bring in big time money and funding to schools with nothing to show for it."

When you compare Florida's coaches pay to states like Texas, it's not even close. Sanders' adopted home state is shelling out money to support public high school football programs. Texas holds a whooping average of $80K per year for head coaches, which is 23 times higher than Florida's rate. A majority of volunteer coaches get an end-of-year stipend in the Lone Star state, hovering around an average of $15K per year.

"Alabama's entire secondary last year was from Florida," Campbell noted. "It matters and needs to be taken seriously. I know great coaches who are leaving for Georgia because they can be paid ten times as much."

Campbell's fight for equality moves on within weeks of the 2023 season starting. This is long overdue with the wheels of change gaining steam, and more people are speaking up about the difficult circumstances.