Brett Favre wanted Deion Sanders to coach at Southern Miss

Brett Favre wanted Deion Sanders to coach at his alma mater Southern Miss before he was hired at Jackson State and Colorado.

Before Deion Sanders was hired at Jackson State, Brett Favre wanted him to coach at Southern Miss per his comments on TMZ Sports. According to Favre, he tried to recruit him to coach the Golden Eagles when Shedeur Sanders was in high school. Favre hoped that Sanders would replace Jay Hopson, who resigned in 2020.

“I knew he would do a great job,” Favre said in the interview. “I knew the things that we needed at Southern Miss, he checked the boxes. Attention, enthusiasm, getting people in the seats. He would've done that. And, I knew players would follow him. Not to mention, we'd have gotten his son, who's probably going to be one of the Heisman finalists this year.”

His comments are noteworthy, as Sanders was rumored for several coaching opportunities such as Florida State in 2019. Favre did indeed lobby to get Sanders at Southern Miss per a report by Hattiesburg American writer Joshua Capers in September 2020.

“I think he would do a tremendous job, and we all know he can recruit, and we all know that he can bring attention,” he said at the time.

However Sanders proceeded to be hired at Jackson State, going undefeated in conference and winning two SWAC Championships as well as clinching two Celebration Bowl appearances. Sanders then left Jackson State in 2022 to take over the Colorado Buffaloes, who are now ranked 18th in the AP Top 25 poll.

Also, Favre sought money allocation from the government to build a football facility that could be used to recruit Shedeur Sanders to the program. Per a report by Front Office Sports, he asked then-Governor Phil Bryant to allocate $1.5 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Family dollars for a new football facility along with $5 million for a new volleyball facility.

A text message from Favre to Bryant in 2019 read, “I picked up Deion Sanders and his son who is going to be a junior in high school and plays QB. He has at least 30 offers thus far including us. Deion and I have been great friends since 91’ and have great respect for each other.”

Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes face off against in-state rival Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain showdown tonight at 10 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.