ATLANTA — The irony was poetic, the symmetry perfect.
While the Jackson State Tigers prepared to play South Carolina State here in the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Saturday, Colorado wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter was in New York where he was expected to win college football’s most prestigious honor: the Heisman Trophy.
Hunter began his college career at Jackson State in 2022 when he made history as the highest-rated recruit to attend a historically Black college or university. For the handful of Jackson State holdovers who played with him, Hunter’s rise has been like a Hollywood movie and Hunter has become a Hollywood star.
Errick Simmons, a senior wide receiver, was at Jackson State before Hunter arrived on campus. Hunter’s arrival changed the trajectory of Simmons’ football career in ways that he did not anticipate. He was part of the change at Jackson State that he couldn’t immediately see.
“Travis is a real blessed young man, and he was blessed to become be a five-star out of high school,” Simmons told me before practice Friday morning. “He was blessed to have the big programs. He was blessed to walk in and have one of the best football players to ever play the game as his coach.”
Coming out of Greenville Weston High School in Mississippi in 2020, Simmons was supposed to be one of the players then-head coach John Hendrick recruited who would help turn Jackson State’s fortunes around after several losing seasons.
Simmons was supposed to be That Guy.
But Hendrick was fired after going 4-8 in 2019. He was replaced by Deion Sanders, nicknamed Coach Prime, whose hiring attracted national attention to Jackson State and changed the program’s mentality and profile. HBCUs were “in.” Coach Prime also brought in a great two-way player who happened to play Simmons position: Travis Hunter.
“Coach Prime brought a new program,” Simmons said. “He brought in new players, he brought a new facility, he brought everything. It was new, and it wasn’t like the old Jackson State. And that’s sometimes what you need.
“He brought in bigger recruits, bigger four-star, five-stars. They had more of the game experience. I came from a small school in Mississippi, so I had a lot of learning and developing to do.”
Jackson State coach Deion Sanders on the sideline during a game against Alabama A&M at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on April 10, 2021, in Jackson, Mississippi.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
This was not the college career Simmons had envisioned when he came out of high school, touted as an explosive player who averaged 21 yards per catch. Simmons was humbled and his eyes were opened to the realities of the business of college football — even at Jackson State.
“We came with the old coaches, but the old coaches, they got fired,” he said. “Coach Prime got hired and so it was like a whole turnaround. And it basically forced me to grow up. I had to grow up and be better than what I was.
“It kind of humbled me in a way. I kind of thought I was That Guy. I kind of had a big head on my shoulders, thinking I was probably better than what I was.”
To his credit, Simmons dedicated himself to improving. The infusion of topflight talent showed him what he had to do.
“I knew I had to work differently,” Simmons said. “I knew I had to do things differently than what I was doing.”
Jackson State finished 4-3 in Sanders first season then jumped to 11-2 in Year 2 and 12-1 in Year 3, including going undefeated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Simmons and Hunter went after each other in practice and the competition sharpened Hunter’s skills as a cornerback.
Some of that Heisman belongs to Hunter’s former teammates.
“Part of that Heisman is mine,” Simmons said, laughing. “But God puts people in people’s lives for their development. I was on the scout team when I was practicing. I used to go against him every day.
“He was a phenomenal player, like all of us. Everybody on the team was phenomenal in their own way. Travis has been playing good at Colorado, and he deserves it. He deserves a lot that’s coming his way. He worked hard for it. I’ve seen him work hard for it.”
Jackson State coach Deion Sanders (left) talks to defensive back Travis Hunter (right) during the game against North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 17, 2022, in Atlanta.
Charles A. Smith/Jackson State University via Getty Images
While Hunter is in New York, his former team is in Atlanta attempting to do something that Jackson State failed to do during Sanders’ tenure. The Tigers are trying to win their first Celebration Bowl, which pits the SWAC champions against the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Under Sanders, Jackson State lost back-to-back Celebration Bowls, first to South Carolina State in 2021 and North Carolina Central in 2022.
“I can tell you that losing the Celebration Bowl was probably the worst feeling ever,” Simmons said of the two losses. “You work so hard throughout the season, and you go throughout the season working so hard, and you go on undefeated, and you’re expecting something. When you get there, things are different.”
Simmons is confident that Jackson State will prevail this time. “We been here three times,” he said. “I feel like this is our awakening. I’ve never been so confident about something. I just know we’re going to win tomorrow.”
Before Simmons left to join his teammates at practice, I asked him about the difference between Jackson State with Sanders and Jackson State without him.
His answer was intriguing. Simmons noted that his father went to Jackson State and several members of his family went to Jackson State or Alcorn State. Unlike Sanders, who played at Florida State, current coach T.C. Taylor played at Jackson State.
Simmons acknowledged that Sanders transformed the Jackson State program. For Simmons, however, the distinction of having HBCU roots is significant.
“Coach T.C. was a player here and coach here before Coach Prime,” Simmons said. “Coach T.C., he believes that ‘I love JSU.’ Coach T.C. came to my house and recruited me. Coach T.C. was about JSU before JSU became what it is now.
“Coach T.C. had his roots dug up in Jackson State. Coach Prime was more planted.”
In an ideal world, Hunter — the former Jackson State Tiger — wins the Heisman Trophy and Jackson State — Hunter’s former college team — wins the Celebration Bowl. Poetic irony, perfect symmetry.
