As college spring football practice begins, eyes will be on Jackson, Mississippi, and head coach Deion Sanders. Sanders and the Tigers won their first SWAC title in 14 years in 2021. They also clinched the school’s first 11-win season in program history. All the while, trotting out a subpar offense but dominant defense.
The offensive struggles didn’t sit too well with Coach Prime, who has goals of making Jackson State the first HBCU “destination spot” for elite recruits and also getting his son Shedeur into the NFL. So this offseason he hired offensive guru Brett Bartolone, previously at Nevada.
Bartolone will run a semblance of the “Air Raid” attack he just used with the Wolfpack. It also showcased the talents of strong-armed quarterback Carson Strong, who in turn made himself an NFL prospect, passing for 4,186 yards, 36 touchdowns, against eight interceptions.
Sanders will be looking for similar production from Shedeur, who passed for 3,231 yards, 30 touchdowns and threw eight interceptions but has much room for growth and struggled in the SWAC title game and Celebration Bowl, where he threw for a combined 270 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Bartolone Has A Lot Of Weaponry At His Disposal
This will be Bartolone’s first time calling plays, but his cupboard is hardly bare. He inherits an offense that also features some talented pass-catchers like Malachi Wideman, the Tennessee transfer who stands 6 feet 5 and runs a 4.5. Last season he caught 34 passes for 540 yards (16.0 per catch) and a team-high 12 touchdowns. He touched paydirt four times in a blowout of SWAC rival Bethune-Cookman.
The new OC also has two top-50 recruits in No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter and No. 44 ranked recruit Kevin Coleman.
The addition of tight end Keveon Mullins, a former four-star recruit, gives the Tigers another tall receiver like Wideman. Mullins goes 6’2 and 245 pounds.
To find out more about what Deion Sanders is doing this spring to improve the Jackson State football team’s offense, click here.
