Prime flip: Deion Sanders snags another SEC commitment, signing Florida OL pledge
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Deion Sanders is at it again.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer is looking to put his imprint on a Jackson State program that was 4-8 last season and is looking to return to prominence. The Tigers have not won a SWAC title since 2007, with the HBCU’s last Black college national championship coming in 1996.
Sanders has landed several SEC prospects, and the latest to do so is offensive lineman Javonte Gardner, who flipped from Florida and signed with the Tigers instead. The 6-foot-5, 290-pounder from Orlando is a 3-star recruit, rated as the No. 39 offensive tackle in the country by 247Sports.
According to Gators Territory, Gardner participated in a mock signing at his high school, but ultimately never officially signed his NLI due in part to academic issues. Instead, he will head to Mississippi to play for Sanders at Jackson State.
It’s not the first SEC player Sanders has flipped during the Early Signing Period. On Wednesday, Georgia cornerback commit De’Jahn Warren flipped his pledge from the Bulldogs and instead signed with JSU.
Sanders’ son Shilo, a former safety at South Carolina, will be joining his father, as is younger son Shedeur, a 4-star recruit ranked as the No. 15 pro-style quarterback in the country—who had offers from several SEC programs.
Prior to that, Aubrey Miller, a former linebacker at Missouri, entered the transfer portal before announcing that he would head to Jackson State, as did former Mississippi State cornerback Javorrius Selmon.
Javonte Gardner, welcome to Thee I Love Jackson State University! A 6-foot-5, 315 offensive lineman out of Orlando! #IBelieveJSU21 x #BleedTheeBlue x #NSD21 pic.twitter.com/OmUxNzWYwv
— Jackson State Football (@GoJSUTigersFB) December 17, 2020
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
