In an exclusive Outkick.com writer David Hookstead is reporting that USF hasn’t narrowed the program’s coaching search down to Deion Sanders or Costal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell, according to a program official. A report claiming the search was down to the Jackson State coach or the leader of Coastal Carolina kicked up a ton of attention Tuesday, but a USF official exclusively told OutKick any report about the search being down to those two men isn’t false.
The Bulls official made it clear USF is still in the process of interviewing multiple candidates, and no decision has been made at this time. While not ruling anything out, it would seem premature to claim it’s a two-man race. To be crystal clear, this doesn’t mean Sanders or Chadwell won’t ultimately get the job. It just means it hasn’t been decided on as of Tuesday.
Sports Talk Florida reported that Sanders confirmed that he had been offered the Colorado job but that they were not the only ones to engage in talks with “Coach Prime,” and his representatives. USF clearly remains an option that is being considered by Sanders and his representatives.
At present Sanders made it clear that his only job is to lead his 11-0 Jackson State team to a win in the conference championship game against Southern who is 7-4. Early in the season, Jackson State beat Southern 35-0, and if Sanders’s team wins they will head to Atlanta on December 17th to play in the Celebration Bowl.
Sanders also made it clear that he remains open to staying at Jackson State but at the moment he is willing to listen to other option.
I had the pleasure of as a producer and director in the Tampa area to broadcast many of Sander’s early games in high school and college. Later as the producer of The Jerry Glanville Show in Atlanta, I saw him start not only for the Falcons but also for the Braves on October 11th in 1992 on the same day.
Sanders even shot a Christmas at Deion’s, feature for me on the Glanville Show. As a USF alum I would love to see him in Tampa. He not only what the Bulls need he is what college football needs, a passionate leader who is honest with his players and the media.
Sanders is a high school and college legend in Florida he was a star at Ft. Myers High School in football, basketball, baseball, and track, then it was off to Florida State where he started on Bobby Bowden’s football team and Mike Martin’s baseball plus he fit in time to run track. If he were to become the USF head coach that would make Sanders the highest profile coach in the Sunshine State way ahead of Billy Napier at Florida, Mike Norvell, at Florida State, Central Florida’s Gus Malzahn, and Miami where Mario Manuel Cristobal is rebuilding the Hurricanes program.
Few have the star power of Coach Prime who would rival Tom Brady in the Bay Area and not only enhance the Bulls brand but have plenty of opportunities to grow his own very extensive group of personal endorsements. He played 14 years in the NFL and nine years in Major League Baseball where he has the distinction of being the only person to play in both the Super Bowl as well as the World Series.
South Florida Athletic Director Mike Kelly and his team are professional and well aware of the importance of hiring a win-now head coach. The goal remains to have a head coach in place by the Dec. 5th transfer portal opening where they will have 45 days to add to an already solid group of talent that former coach Jeff Scott brought to USF.
Here is just a partial list of present and former head coaches that have an interest in being the Bulls next head coach besides Sanders and there is more names that we don’t know.
Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell, Toledo head coach Jason Candle, who also coached Plant High School, former Houston and Texas head coach Tom Herman, for Gators head coach Dan Mullen, Howard head coach Larry Scott, FAMU Head coach Willie Simmon and former Nebraska and UCF head coach Scott Frost are all names that have had an interest in being the next head coach of USF.
