In my opinion it’s also more complex than that. There’s a parallel movement developing which is the rise of HBCUs as a legitimate option for top shelf talent. Call it what you want to, they are decades behind the top programs and billions of dollars in facilities behind, but so was Miami when we won our championships and were the face of CFB. Obviously we now see the difference with Miami investing in its program. Deion has become the face of that movement and has convinced a few top guys to go to him, sub-standard facilities and all. In many ways what he has preached is that you don’t need the bells and whistles, float tanks, nap rooms, and slides to get to the next level and become a millionaire. Name me a time where an HBCU hat was even on the table for these caliber guys?
If he leaves for a bigger program, he looks like the biggest hypocrite in coaching. He leaves for an opportunity with more notoriety, more money, resources and a chance to win and showcase his coaching talents at the highest level which is exactly what he’s been preaching against since he started coaching at JSU. In my personal opinion he makes his legacy at the HBCU level and builds Jackson State in to a competent program all around that can also make it scary and even beat some of the top programs every once in a while and help push other HBCUs to do the same. He’s in too deep to leave for a blue blood program. It’ll close the door on HBCUs ever being in the running for top talent like Travis Hunter again.