New Jackson State coach Deion Sanders made several proclamations about his coaching staff in the days and week since he was hired.

One of them was that his staff would have 84 years of combined NFL experience, including his 14-year career. However, now that the staff has been announced, it falls a bit short of that. Football Scoop noted that it is 72 years, which is not quite what “Coach Prime” touted, but still far above anyone else in the SWAC.

Michael Pollack – Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach
Dennis Thurman – Defensive Coordinator
Mike Markuson – Offensive Line
Alan Ricard – Special Teams
Gary Harrell – Running Backs
Kevin Mathis – Defensive Backs
Andre’ Hart – Linebackers
Jeff Weeks – Defensive Line
TC Taylor – Tight Ends
Otis Riddley – Recruiting Coordinator

Here’s some background on the coaches:

Pollock is a veteran prep coach across the southeast, and was the head coach at Lincoln County in Georgia in 2019. Thurman most recently was the defensive coordinator for the Memphis Express of the upstart Alliance of American Football. From 2015-16, he was the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills and coached under Rex Ryan.

Markuson coached at Ole Miss from 2007-12. He was the quarterback coach and co-offensive coordinator from 2007-12. Ricard coached from 2016-19 at the University of Louisiana-Monroe and 2015 at Nicholls State.

Harrell was in the same position at Alabama State University, and previously served a two-year stint under Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic. Mathis previously coached with Sanders at Trinity Christian, and Hart was previously the head coach at Trinity Christian.

Weeks has more than 25 years of coaching at the NFL, college, and prep levels. He most recently served as a linebackers coach for the Buffalo Bills under Rex Ryan.

Taylor was already on the staff, which he joined in January 2019. He came from North Carolina Central University, where he coached the previous five years as quarterback’s coach and offensive coordinator. Ridley also was already on the staff as he also came when Taylor did, and arrived at JSU after he spent the previous 2 seasons at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.