Deion Sanders Reacts to Appearing on Sports Illustrated Cover

Appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated is often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some of the best athletes to ever live. Unless you’re Deion Sanders. 

SI’s latest monthly cover features the Jackson State coach and two of his players, his son and team quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, along with freshman cornerback Travis Hunter.

In a video posted on YouTube, Sanders is sitting at his desk with a stack of Sports Illustrated magazines on his desk. He shows off all six of his covers to the two young players—including the latest cover where all three of them appear. It was the first time Shedeur and Hunter saw the cover. Both players smiled ear to ear when they saw it for the first time. 

“Why y’all try to look mean? Y’all ain’t smiling,” Sanders said referring to the cover.

His son said “it’s business” as the two flipped through the pages of the fresh magazine looking for the story and the other photo—to which Sanders admitted he preferred over the cover. But Sanders didn’t seem to mind all that much given the accomplishment not only for himself and players, but for the program.

“And they say HBCUs ain’t poppin’?” Sanders said with a laugh. “History!”