Schools Reap Benefits of Hiring Coach Prime and Eddie George

An excerpt from Yahoo Sports - 

Schools reap benefits of hiring Coach Prime, Eddie George

By TERESA M. WALKER 

Deon Sanders

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Deion Sanders has been all over national TV, putting Jackson State in the spotlight every time his insurance commercials air.

Hiring Eddie George has had a similar effect at Tennessee State.

Thanks to their high-profile coaches, Jackson State and Tennessee State are reaping benefits from bigger crowds and more interest from top recruits to companies wanting to tap into all the hype, making deals with both universities and players under the new name, image, and likeness rules.

Just as university officials hoped.

“It’s just reestablishing our football brand that was so dominant for many decades and just restoring that,” Tennessee State athletic director Mikki Allen said of George. “He’s been everything that I could ask for in a head coach.”

Allen said Tennessee State’s enrollment already is up, and four-and five-star recruits are looking closely at George and the Tigers. Tennessee State hosted 317 recruits one weekend.

Tennessee State has had corporate interest from companies including The General, Best Buy, and bottling sponsor Coca-Cola. A six-figure gift from trucking company Western Express started a new weight room project for the indoor complex.

The Tigers also have partnered with OpenDorse to help athletes who’ve signed deals with restaurants, vendors, barbershops, and cell phones on handling name, image, and likeness issues. Allen said brands wanting to tap into George’s star power is transferring to his players.

“There’s a lot of brands who want to be connected, obviously, to our head coach,” Allen said. "But then I think a lot of that star power that he has transferred over to our student-athletes in the sport of football.”

https://sports.yahoo.com/schools-reap-benefits-hiring-coach-070523704.html