Deion Sanders' message to his replacement at Jackson State, TC Taylor, ahead of the Celebration Bowl was simple: beat South Carolina at Mercedez-Benz Stadium and do what Coach Prime himself couldn't in two full seasons in Mississippi.
“He's always supported me,” Taylor told the Clarion Ledger on December 10. “That's why it was good to hear from him. After that game, he was just telling me to go win this one this weekend."
Taylor is highly confident his Tigers have the juice to get the job done.
“When we got them in the spring and the summer, you could just see them come together,” Taylor said. “We knew we were talented. But for me, just as the head coach and the leader, it was my job to get everybody to come together and believe in one another, play for one another.
“Just seeing the vibe and how it feels, the fun that everybody was having once they won, I wanted them to see that. (Associate head) Coach Otis (Riddley) put that up there today for the team. We want to have that feeling come this weekend around 4:30-5 o'clock and bring that trophy back to Jackson.
“I've had a lot of success in my career. I've won a lot of conference championships, won conference championships here. But this would be the icing on the cake.”
It was clear from the beginning Taylor was going to make JSU a winner. Between Taylor and Coach Prime, Jackson State has had an incredible run of head coaching hires of late.