This book is a solid accounting of Deion Sanders' last season at Jackson State. The book is comforting to read for a fan of sports books like me. Books that take the reader behind the scenes of a team's season should hit a few different points. Provide compelling characters, share insight that the average fan can't get from the news or Twitter and have an arc as to how the season went for the team.

Some of the players on the team and coaches get a lot of focus. Prime speaks throughout the book, but it's really more about them. I had a great time getting to know more about these folks. Some of the stories are sad, but most of them show the camaraderie that existed amongst every one on the team.

I wish there had been more of an inside look into the negotiations that brought Coach Prime to Colorado. This event is talked about fleetingly at the end of the book. It was interesting to learn that one of Prime's coaches, Dennis Thurman, was the one who initially talked to Rick George. I would have enjoyed more insight into this situation. But, I did appreciate the stories about the clashes between Prime and the JSU president. It's not surprising that Prime left, given how he felt disrespected.

The season arc was the pursuit of the perfect season. I loved the stories about how practices were run, how players were disciplined, and how Prime motivated the team week after week. Jackson State was the most dominant team in the SWAC that season. By focusing on the angst that the coaching staff had about getting complacent, the narrative tension created by this pursuit was amplified. It might have gotten repetitive by the end of the book, but not in an unpleasant way.

I recommend this book to any football fan.

If you are at all interested in the famous Coach Prime, you have to read this book! After taking the Pac12 by storm early in the season in 2023, so many more people started wondering what was going on in Colorado... There's so much behind the man that explains why he is the way he is on the sidelines.

Deion Sanders, the iconic athlete and now head coach of Jackson State University's football team, is known for his flamboyant style and larger-than-life persona. In the book "Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men" by Jean-Jacques Taylor, readers are taken on a captivating journey through the life and career of this sports legend turned mentor.
The book delves into Sanders' transformation from a successful athlete to a dedicated mentor, emphasizing the values of discipline, perseverance, and leadership. Taylor's narrative skillfully unveils the challenges and triumphs that Sanders faced, shedding light on the profound impact he has had on the lives of young athletes.
This insightful and compelling book is a must-read, offering valuable lessons on determination, integrity, and the transformative power of mentorship. As readers engage with Sanders' story, they will undoubtedly find inspiration and wisdom that transcends the realm of sports.

Interesting look at Deion Sanders from his time at Jackson State. It was especially intriguing to read in the early part of the season when Colorado was rolling.

An inside look at Coach Prime’s time a Jackson State University.. Insightful and inspiring, Positive and very well written. Highly recommend..

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed.

****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Deion Sanders, aka “Prime Time” in his playing days, currently is taking the college football world by storm with his early success coaching the Colorado Buffaloes to early success in the 2023 season after they won only one game in 2022. For some, this really isn’t a surprise as this was similar to his experiences at Jackson State. This book is a great account of Sanders’ last season there as Jean-Jacques Taylor covers a lot of ground in that season.

One important note is that Taylor never calls the coach “Sanders” – throughout the book, he is known as “Coach Prime”. This is also how he refers to himself as did everyone else on the Jackson State campus. Even his son Shedeur, who was one of the stars for the Tigers (and currently for the Buffaloes), calls his father that name in the book. But more important than the name is how Coach Prime does his work.

Those who remember Coach Prime in his time as a baseball and football player may be surprised to read about this side of him. Many felt he was only about himself during his playing days and even if just watching his press conferences, one may come to that same conclusion. But this book does not focus on that and instead how Coach Prime is not only helping his players succeed on the football field but also in other aspects of life.

If the reader is not familiar with the atmosphere at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) they will be after reading this book. This was especially important to Coach Prime as he addressed many topics that would be important to a student body in HBCUs. There is even some attention to the few white players on the team. The team was very structured, had to follow many rules and if you broke them, you were only told “Get Out!” and not a word of protest was uttered.

The stories of these players are the heart of the book and is even better than the football sections which are also very good. Even if one has never heard of Jackson State, the reader will end up cheering for this team despite already knowing the outcome of their season. For those who want to learn why Colorado has taken the college football world by storm, this book will be one of the best ways to learn how.

I wish to thank Mariner Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I give it five stars. A great insight into the behind the scenes of Deion Sanders tenure as the head football coach of the Jackson State University Tigers. It provided me with a look inside the man known as Coach Prime along with his staff and players. The trials and tribulations that they were extraordinary and it was interesting to learn about the building of the program and its impact on the university community as well. It will be interesting to see how Coach Prime now does in his tenure at Colorado as the head coach there.

There's no doubt about it, Deion Sanders is a captivating figure. People are just instinctively drawn to him mainly because of his personality.. This book dives into the everyday life of the Jackson State football team during what would become Deion's last season at J-State. It covered his personal relationship with his players, coaches & it also briefly touches on his challenges with then JSU President Thomas Hudson. I found this book quite interesting. At times, however, I grew frustrated with the writing because of the transition between topics. In several instances, I had to read several sections multiple times because I got confused with the transitions. Because of this, I gave this book 4 stars. All in all, this book is a fairly good read.