Cowboys Legend Emmitt Smith: Deion Sanders Over Nick Saban

Dallas' Hall-of-Fame running back gives former teammate Deion Sanders the edge over iconic Alabama coach Nick Saban.

In terms of collegiate head coaches, Emmitt Smith is taking Sanders over Saban.

Of course Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, is a little biased: Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders is one of his former teammates from his glory days with the Dallas Cowboys, while Nick Saban is the head coach at the University of Alabama, one of the biggest rivals of his alma mater of Florida.

But Smith believes that Sanders' illustrious professional playing career in both football and baseball provides a unique advantage over the long-tenured Crimson Tide boss: his illustrious playing career. Thus, he's "not surprised" by what "Prime Time" has accomplished in his brief-but-productive tenure at the helm of the Tigers. 

"Deion brings something different to an organization like Jackson State and these young men that some coaches cannot even identify with because Nick Saban never played professional football, not at this level," Smith told SI's HBCU Legends site. "None have played baseball and been a dual-sports guy like Deion."

Sanders and Saban engaged in a brief war of words last month when the Alabama coach went on the relative warpath against several of his contemporaries. Saban accused the former Cowboy and his Tiger unit of paying an unnamed prospect "a million dollars" to spurn high-profile universities to instead come to Jackson State of Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA). 

Smith dismissed such notions, believing that Sanders' natural ability to recruit and center a prospect's career beyond the football field has guided the Tigers to success in the standings. Jackson State has amassed a 15-5 record in Sanders' two seasons, with a program-best 11 wins last season. Sanders' coaching accomplishments earned him a spot on Sports Illustrated's famed cover, appearing alongside his son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders and defender Travis Hunter.

The latter was recruited by Sanders away from his own alma mater at Florida State.  

"When (Sanders) walks into a mother's house, or father's house, or a combination thereof, he's telling a kid, "Hey, this is beyond the game of football, son." This is about you not only getting a quality education at Jackson State, where HBCU schools produce quality individuals."

Jackson State will open its 2022 season on Sept. 4 against Florida A&M.