Deion Sanders: SWAC Commissioner Speaks On 'The Prime Effect'

SWAC commissioner spoke to ESPN's Tiffany Greene and Jay Walker about "The Prime Effect" and its carryover on the conference.

HOUSTON — Dr. Charles McClelland told 60 Minutes in 2022 that Deion Sanders was a "superstar." Coach Prime illuminated the Southwestern Athletic Conference with his bold approach to coaching for two seasons at Jackson State University. He definitely was a breath of fresh air for HBCU football, coaching, and sports.  As Sanders pointed out upon accepting the coaching position at Jackson State, he was "sent by God."

For most fans and media professionals, the weekly press conferences have been "matter of fact" and lost "energy" following his departure. Also, there has been a decline in game attendance, and the overall fan interest appears to be erratic until the weekend's slate of contests. It's difficult to correlate the current state of HBCU football to Coach Prime being in Colorado, but it's noticeably different.  Nevertheless, Commissioner McClelland sees a noticeable positive effect, no matter if the conference lost his quotable one-liners, mottos, and inspiring jargon.

Apr 22, 2023; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the start of the spring game at Folsom Filed. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

During the UAPB at Alabama A&M broadcast, ESPN play-by-play announcer Tiffany Greene asked Dr. McClelland about the carryover of the "Prime Effect" in the conference. 

"I had the opportunity to talk to him [Deion Sanders] actually before the TCU game," Dr. McClelland shared with Greene and Walker. "He still sends his congratulations to what the Southwestern Athletic Conference has done. Coach Prime is someone that gave us a lot of notoriety. Our job is to continue again with a great product. When Shedeur Sanders said, 'I didn't throw for that many years within the Southwest Athletic Conference,' that said a lot. That said, who we are. You talked about John Stallworth (Alabama A&M/NFL Hall of Fame). We talked [Terron] Armstead. We talked about all of the people that came to the Southwestern Athletic Conference. That's who we are, and that's when we will continue to be."

Tiffany Greene (ESPN), Dr. Charles McClelland (SWAC Commissioner), and Jay Walker (ESPN)

The critical SWAC divisional games will be on display in Week 4 with Prairie View at Alcorn State, Texas Southern versus Grambling State [HBCU GO], Alabama State visiting Florida A&M [ESPN+], and Bethune-Cookman meeting Jackson State [ESPN+] on Saturday, Sept. 23.