What Deion Sanders told No. 1 recruit Travis Hunter to get him to sign with Jackson State
The college football world was stunned on Dec. 15, 2021, Travis Hunter, regarded as the nation's No. 1 high school football prospect, announced he would sign with Jackson State.
Hunter flipped his commitment from FBS Power Five conference member Florida State to JSU, an HBCU program that competes in the FCS. A 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver and defensive back, Hunter helped Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill High School to a state championship his senior year.
During an interview on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, Hunter told Jon Wertheim he de-committed from Florida State to shine the light on HBCUs.
"Coach Prime (Deion Sanders) changed my mind," Hunter said. "He let me know how big of an impact I can have on the people, and that is one of the things I wanted – to shine the light on our people ( African Americans) and shine the light on HBCUs."
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Sanders, who enrolled at Florida State and went on to play 14 seasons in the NFL, said he was never recruited by HBCUs, which is why he did not consider one. He said that HBCUs have started recruiting four- and five-star players just recently because they never thought they could get them. Now, he said, they believe they can recruit them.
Sanders said what Hunter's commitment to FSU was normal: a big-time recruit goes to a big-time school. But when a big-time recruit chooses to go to Jackson State, they change the trajectory of so many other kids. Now kids are saying, "If it is good enough for Travis to go there and play, it may be good enough for me."
Hunter, playing in the defensive backfield, made an impact in his debut at Jackson State. During the Tigers’ season opener against Florida A&M, Hunter had two passes defended and shut down half the field while holding the Rattler's best receiver, Xavier Smith, to zero catches. Hunter has been injured and has missed the last five games.
"What Hunter did was a game-changing decision," Sanders said. "I had my turn, now, I’m asking someone else to dominate theirs."
Undefeated Jackson State (6-0), ranked No. 7 in FCS, will face Campbell (N.C.) University (4-2) at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN+).
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Deion Sanders landed top prospect Travis Hunter for Jackson State
