Jackson State Head Football Coach Deion Sanders’ motivational message to the Tigers this past week was rooted in no mediocrity, healthy competition, and dominance.
Thee Pregame Show has had exclusive access to the Tigers’ morning practices. Click here to watch as the team prepares for the highly anticipated second season under Sanders:
The Tigers File In
It’s 7:30 a.m. and the team is filing into the School of Business building. The schedule calls for 7:45 a.m., but they know that an on-time arrival is late.
Some players have bottles of water, some have notebooks and pens, and some have a combination of both. They seat themselves as they chatter and laugh.
Sanders arrives. The players hush. Sanders surveys the crowd and calls on defensive back John Huggins to lead the day’s prayer.
After an inspirational video plays on the projector, Sanders addresses the team.
No Mediocrity
“Coaches, I need you to stay on their butts,” Sanders said. “I need you to not allow mediocrity. Make them start it over. I need you to make sure they’re concise, really make sure they have whatever foot on the line they need, whatever stance they need, and make sure they do things properly.”
Sanders emphasized the importance of “doing things the way we need to do things.” He said if a drill isn’t executed properly, the player has to start it over.
“We’re going to create habits,” he said. “And then create a habit out that habit we created. We’re going to work, we’re going to go hard.”
It’s Time for Healthy Competition
“Usually I don’t like you to compare and compete, but today I’m going to ask you to compare and compete,” Sanders said. “You guys size each other up, that’s what your generation does, everything is size, everything is equating one to another.”
Sanders said it’s time to apply that mentality on the field.
“Who’s the guy that you compare yourself to that you gotta defeat when you get on the field?” he said. “Who’s the guy? I want you to find out who you think that guy is and I want you to outwork him today. I want you to outplay him today.”
Sanders said the only way to dominate is to be competitive.
“We’ve already won, and we’re gonna win, but let’s be dominant,” he said.
Deion Sanders’ motivational message gave the Tigers a renewed competitive spirit. This spirit will continue through the 2022 season kick off against Florida A&M University on September 4.