What do Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders and Alabama coach Nick Saban have in common besides doing Aflac commercials? How about loading up on former head coaches?
Saban has hired Lane Kiffin, Mike Stoops, Major Applewhite, Butch Jones, Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley and Charlie Strong, just to name a few, since taking over the Crimson Tide. The majority of them were hired as an analyst. Saban has won seven national titles, while Sanders is looking for his first Black college football national title.
Sanders has now hired former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer to be an analyst for Jackson State. The two worked together when Sanders was a defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys and Zimmer was the defensive backs coach. Together the pair helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 66-year-old Zimmer, a defensive specialist with 43 years of experience, coached Sanders from 1995-99.
Sanders introduced Zimmer to the team Tuesday in Jackson State’s newly re-furnished football film room.
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“He’s asked me about it a few times. The pay’s not good,” Zimmer said with a grin on Thee Pregame Show. “But I do love Deion and I’d do anything for him.”
Zimmer was the coach of the Vikings for eight seasons, going 72-56-1 overall before being fired in 2021 after two losing seasons in a row. Prior to joining the Vikings, Zimmer remained on the Cowboys’ staff from 1994-2004, surviving five coaching changes. He was with the Atlanta Falcons, before taking the role of defensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2008-13.
“He can open up so many doors for these young men, but I’m extremely impressed with the way he’s teaching,” Zimmer said.
Earlier this summer, Sanders hired former Minnesota Golden Gophers coach Tim Brewster to his staff. He was coach from 2007-10 where he helped the Golden Gophers to the Insight Bowl in both 2008 and 2009.
Brewster will be a special assistant to Sanders. He was a tight ends coach at Florida (2020-21), where he tutored The John Mackey Award winner Kyle Pitts. Pitts was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Brewster coached wide receivers at Mississippi…