Isaiah Bolden took a ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to play for Deion Sanders. It led him to the Patriots.

Roughly three years back, a pivotal phone call altered the course of Isaiah Bolden’s football journey.

Deion Sanders, the esteemed cornerback enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, had recently assumed the role of head football coach at Jackson State. The call came through, connecting Bolden to Sanders, and in that moment, the tides shifted.

Bolden had just concluded his redshirt-freshman season at Florida State, the very institution where Sanders had made his mark. Across 13 games, Bolden had showcased his skills and earned one start. However, a proposition surfaced from the FSU coaching team—a suggestion for a positional switch.

“In that juncture, I held a strong desire to excel as a cornerback rather than a receiver,” Bolden recounted. “It was as simple as that. I placed my confidence in my own abilities. While Coach [Mike] Norvell and his staff held remarkable potential and were on the rise, I chose to believe in myself.”

With a resolute decision, Isaiah Bolden embarked on a transformative journey, transferring to Jackson State to glean the art of playing cornerback from none other than Deion Sanders, a paragon of football prowess.

Bolden’s conviction was firmly rooted in Sanders’s vision and aspirations. “I wholeheartedly believed in his mission,” Bolden affirmed. “When I was in the transfer portal, we engaged in hours of discussion. I made the choice to align with his cause and contribute to the legacy of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). That held immense significance for me.”

Taking the Stage for Prime TimeSanders’s resonating message struck a chord not only with Bolden but also resonated with numerous highly-rated prospects.

According to 247Sports, Jackson State’s 2021 recruiting class secured a spot in the top 60 nationally, surpassing several FBS institutions including Arizona State, TCU, and Wake Forest. The subsequent year, in 2022, Sanders achieved a coup by recruiting five-star cornerback Travis Hunter, the country’s premier prospect.

Such achievements are unprecedented for an FCS school in the contemporary landscape.

T.C. Taylor, elevated to the position of Jackson State head coach following Sanders’s departure for Colorado, extolled Sanders’s unparalleled influence: “You’re conversing about one of the game’s greatest players, perhaps the very best, to have ever adorned football pads and stepped onto the field. For any aspiring defensive back, there is no finer mentor and guide for the position than Deion Sanders…”

“Having the opportunity to play under Coach Prime, especially in the realm of secondary play, is an extraordinary occurrence that presents itself only once in a lifetime,” Taylor remarked.

Bolden’s tenure at Jackson State was a period of profound learning under Sanders’s tutelage. “He sculpted me into a professional with his candid approach,” Bolden shared. “Sanders is unfiltered, offering genuine insights and assessments. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything; he’s dedicated to preparing you for the next echelon of the game.”

A Fresh Chapter in an Abundant LegacyDespite encountering challenges in garnering exposure and attracting top-tier recruits in recent decades, Jackson State University has been a wellspring of NFL talent long before the arrival of Deion Sanders.

Even before Sanders graced the campus, JSU boasted a remarkable NFL pedigree. The 2000 NFL Draft witnessed the selection of two first-round picks hailing from JSU—Sylvester Morris and Rashard Anderson. Moreover, the Tigers boast an illustrious quartet of Pro Football Hall-of-Famers, with the iconic Walter Payton at the forefront. Among these legends is Jackie Slater, a seven-time Pro Bowler and the father of the New England Patriots’ special teams standout, Matthew Slater.

The burgeoning spotlight on HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) has garnered well-deserved attention, eliciting admiration from figures like Matthew Slater. He expressed, “It’s truly heartening to witness HBCUs gaining the recognition they rightfully deserve. These institutions are steeped in a legacy of unparalleled significance. While the trajectory of these schools may have shifted over time in terms of recruiting, the profound impact they hold within our community and our history remains unshakable.”