Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders pulled off one of the biggest early signing period surprises in recent memory on Wednesday when Travis Hunter, the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation, committed to the reigning SWAC champions.

Hunter had previously issued a commitment to Florida State in March 2020. But after a grand recruiting effort by Sanders, Hunter opted to become the first five-star high school prospect to commit to an FCS school since ESPN started its rankings back in 2006.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban was among numerous coaches to provide their take on this shocking move in the world of college football. As he touched on during his press conference on Wednesday, the seven-time national championship-winning head coach shied away from going in-depth on this commitment, but rather gave his props to Sanders.

“I have a lot of respect for Deion Sanders,” Saban said. “He's a good coach. He's a good guy, was a great player. Has got a great personality, and I enjoy doing commercials with him.

“But it's not for me to comment on who makes what decisions to go where based on what circumstances. He got a great player, and I think that's good for his program… But everybody has the right to make those choices and those decisions.”

Hunter had been recruited by a multitude of prestigious schools, including Alabama. The 6'1″ versatile cornerback was in touch with current Crimson Tide associate defensive coordinator and safeties coach Charles Kelly. Even as he received an offer by the reigning SEC champions, he opted to pull off a shocker by signing with Jackson State.

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Colorado football coach Deion Sanders on the left, with Alton McCaskill on the right.

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Ian Rapoport looking at Deion Sanders with NFL Draft logo in background.

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Deion Sanders in front. Shaedur Sanders and Travis Hunter on each side of him. Colorado logo in front.

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At the least, Alabama did not come home empty-handed when it came to recruiting coveted high school prospects from the state of Georgia. Four-star offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett opted to sign with Alabama over the likes of Florida State and Georgia. More so, Saban also landed five-star defensive lineman Jeremiah Alexander, who also had interest from Auburn and Clemson.

After another standout early signing day, Saban and his coaching staff will soon turn their full attention to Alabama's upcoming College Football Playoff matchup against the No. 4 ranked Cincinnati Bearcats later this month.