section_path: College career/Jackson State
section_name: Jackson State
paragraph_text: Jackson State
  
  Sanders enrolled at Jackson State in January 2021, but was ineligible to play for the team in its spring 2021 season, which was abbreviated and delayed from its normally intended 2020 schedule due to COVID-19. Sanders was named the Tigers' starting quarterback going into the 2021 fall season and passed for 3,231 yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Freshman of the Year and second team All-SWAC and won the Jerry Rice Award as the most outstanding freshman in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, becoming the first player from a historically black college or university (HBCU) to win the award. He signed name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals with Gatorade, Beats by Dre, and Nike, being the first college football player to sign with the latter.
  
  To open his sophomore season, Sanders completed 29 of 33 passes for 323 yards and five touchdowns in the Tigers' 59–3 win over Florida A&M. He completed 70.6% of his pass attempts for 3,732 yards with 40 touchdowns and six interceptions as a sophomore and was named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year. Sanders was also awarded the Deacon Jones Trophy as the nation's top HBCU player. He entered the NCAA transfer portal after the 2022 Celebration Bowl.
  
  Sanders enrolled at Jackson State in January 2021, but was ineligible to play for the team in its spring 2021 season, which was abbreviated and delayed from its normally intended 2020 schedule due to COVID-19. Sanders was named the Tigers' starting quarterback going into the 2021 fall season and passed for 3,231 yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Freshman of the Year and second team All-SWAC and won the Jerry Rice Award as the most outstanding freshman in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, becoming the first player from a historically black college or university (HBCU) to win the award. He signed name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals with Gatorade, Beats by Dre, and Nike, being the first college football player to sign with the latter.
  
  To open his sophomore season, Sanders completed 29 of 33 passes for 323 yards and five touchdowns in the Tigers' 59–3 win over Florida A&M. He completed 70.6% of his pass attempts for 3,732 yards with 40 touchdowns and six interceptions as a sophomore and was named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year. Sanders was also awarded the Deacon Jones Trophy as the nation's top HBCU player. He entered the NCAA transfer portal after the 2022 Celebration Bowl.