The college coaching debut of Jackson State's Deion Sanders on February 21, 2021 against Edward Waters College has significance for a number of reasons.  First the obvious, the most promoted debut to HBCU football coaching in the last 25 years begins at one of the "blue blood" programs in the premier HBCU football conference.  Every game for Jackson State will be seen on the ESPN platforms and that will be a great boost to recruiting for Sanders, Jackson State and the football program. 

Second, it's the start of the controversial spring football season that was created in response to the cancelled fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've already seen one SWAC team opt-out of playing (Alcorn State), leaving the other nine teams on the hook to play a 6-7 game schedule, at what risk to the future health of players remains to be seen.

And third, the actual date of this game sync's with Coach Prime's favorite two numbers - 2 and 21.  The number 2 is Sanders' number at Florida State where he was an All-American defensive back and special teams returner.  Number 21 is the number PrimeTime made famous with the Atlanta Falcons, and later with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys where he helped those teams win the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons.

5 THINGS TO WATCH THIS AFTERNOON

1.  Will Jalon Jones be the 4-star QB of the future for JSU

Sophomore Jalon Jones is a 4-star recruit that came to the JSU program as a transfer from the University of Florida in 2019 as a redshirt freshman.  He played in 11 games for the Tigers in 2019, completed 54-of-111 passes for 882 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran the ball 93 times on the ground for 395 rushing yards. 

Shedeur Sanders, Coach Prime's son, is the second 4-star recruit to come to JSU and the battle for the opening day starter in the fall will be interesting especially given the perceived advantages that Shedeur has.  The one advantage that Jones will have is that he gets the first shot at showing Coach Prime what he can bring to the position against live competition.

2.  First look at the new JSU defensive backs

Da'Jahn Warren, the No. 1-ranked junior college player in the country, and former four-star recruit and Florida State transfer Isaiah Bolden are projected to see significant minutes at the cornerback position. 

Despite Coach Prime role as an offensive coordinator, he is quite possibly the greatest defensive back in the history of the modern era of professional football. So, if there's one position beside quarterback that eyes will be focused on, it will be this pair of defensive backs given their resume and accolades. 

In 2019, JSU allowed an average of 7.68 yards per attempt and 24 total touchdowns while intercepting 13 passes for 250 return yards. Among conference games, JSU tied for the second-fewest interceptions (6) with two other teams. 

3.  How Edward Waters responds to the challenge and spotlight

EWC is a NAIA program transitioning to NCAA Division II with an offer to join the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).  Head coach Greg Ruffin has been rebuilding the Tigers program over the past two seasons and after a combined 5-17 record optimism is high for the fall.  So besides the exposure on the stage playing Jackson State provides, what will EWC look like at kickoff.

On Friday night, Division-II Lincoln (MO) played FCS Nicholls State to open the spring season and lost 87-3. That type of outcome would be a major setback for EWC.  In 2019, EWC played two SWAC opponents, Southern and Prairie View A&M.  The Tigers lost to Southern 61-0 on September 14, but was more competitive in November against UAPB yet lost 41-14.

The Tigers return 12 starters and 32 letterwinners from the 2019 team.  Can Sophomore quarterback Roshard Branch, the presumed starter for this game, begin to show his ability to lead this team to more victories in the fall. In 2019, he went 84-of-159 passing, had a 52.8% completion percentage, with 992 yards, eight TDs, and six INTs.

Another key offensive player to watch is sophomore running back De'Shaun Hugee who rushed for 792 yards on 143 attempts (5.5 yards per carry) with six touchdowns.  Hugee was the most impressive back in 2019 primarily because EWC was without 2018's lead rusher Corey Hammett. Hammet returns to the backfield today.

Defensively, it's the first chance new defensive coordinator Joseph Carter, who previously was the DC at Tuskegee, gets to improve a unit that allowed 367.3 yards per game, 201.7 rushing.  One of the five defensive returners is sophomore Jaren Wilson, who led EWC in sacks and tackles for loss. As a freshman, he had 44 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four sacks and an interception.

4.  What will the snap count be for JSU's key position battles?

While this may be the only game EWC plays this spring (they have no other games listed on their spring schedule as of this post), how will JSU rotate their roster given the 6-game SWAC schedule and the overall affect this season may have on players in the fall. 

Coach Prime's offense is an uptempo offense so the number of snaps and use of key players and position battles will be interesting to watch. 

Which running back will start to separate from the others? Sophomore Kymani Clarke played in 8 games in 2019, but had a season-high 171 rushing yards on 20 attempts with one touchdown against Mississippi Valley State. Clarke had 292 net yards total. 

Despite Clarke being one of the more established backs, Freshman Desmond Moultrie from Arlington, Texas is projected on the first team depth chart. Senior Jordan Johnson had the most rushing yards among returning backs with 470 net yards on 99 attempts with 4 scores. Will he be in the mix? 

What will the snap count be at the quarterback position between Jones and redshirt-freshman Quincy Casey?  Will they alternate series or quarters? Or, will Casey get some reps if the score gets out of hand.

5.  What type of impact will the switch from inside to an outside linebacker have for the reigning defensive player of the year?

Defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman has been searching for dogs on the recruiting trail, but his top dog is right in the back yard in reigning defensive player of the year Keonte Hampton.

Hampton was named the Spring 2021 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, after a freshman season with 106 tackles, 69 solo, earned him the SWAC DPOY at the end of the 2019 season. 

Thurman has moved JSU to a base 4-3 defense and moved Hampton from the inside linebacker to an outside linebacker. Will Hampton's stats project the same, not likely. But, if he can have more of an impact on the opposing quarterback, he may become more dangerous to opposing offenses.

Enjoy the game and the return of HBCU Football.