Colorado sensation Deion Sanders was once rejected by an SEC powerhouse due to lack of "experience," but destiny landed him a job at Jackson State

Deion Sanders has caught the attention of everyone with his impressive start at Colorado. Coach Prime has come a long way since starting his coaching career and was reportedly considered for the head coaching job at Arkansas four years ago.

In an appearance on a recent episode of the "Paul Finebaum Show" on Wednesday, Wandy Hall of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette revealed that Sanders interviewed for the head coach position at Arkansas as the school looked to replace Chad Morris following his poor two consecutive two-win seasons.

Sanders was notably in competition with Willie Fritz and Sam Pittman for the Razorbacks’ job. However, according to Hall, Sanders' limited experience as a head coach worked against him, and the role was ultimately given to Sam Pittman. Sanders was yet to commence his coaching career in college football at the time.

"And from all things I’ve heard, the interview was awesome, he blew them away with everything but experience, which he had none,” Hall said.

Arkansas competes in the Southeastern Conference, and its athletic director, Hunter Yurachek, reportedly said in 2020 that the school did interview Sanders and thought the SEC was not the right starting point for him.

---

Coach Prime's relationship with Jerry Jones might have played a role in Arkansas interview

Deion Sanders has maintained a close relationship with the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones since he played for the NFL team during his professional career. According to Hall, this was crucial in Sanders getting considered for the Razorbacks job despite lacking experience in college football.

Jerry Jones played for the Arkansas Razorbacks during his college years and has been one of the top donors to the school's athletic department. Hall suggested that Sanders’ interview was facilitated by Jones, who continues to have a significant influence on the Razorbacks program.

“I really think it was a courtesy interview for Jerry Jones, who donates a lot of money to the University of Arkansas, and he and Deion are friends,” Hall said. “We know their plane landed somewhere near his ranch in Texas. They had to rent a car and drive an hour to get to his ranch."

---

Deion Sanders went to Jackson State instead

After failing to secure the Arkansas job, Deion Sanders was hired in 2020 by Jackson State. At the Football Championship Subdivision and HBCU program, "Prime Time" began to build a reputation for himself as "Coach Prime," gaining the needed experience.

He went unbeaten with Jackson State in his last two seasons in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, winning the conference championship in both seasons. The highly outstanding performance with the Tigers got him the attention of Colorado, where Deion Sanders is already making waves in no time.