Former Alabama linebacker King Mwikuta joins Deion Sanders at Jackson State

On3 imageby:Steve Samra09/08/22

SamraSource

Deion Sanders has changed the game, and now he’s bringing some Alabama-level talent to Jackson State.

According to On3’s Matt Zenitz, former Crimson Tide linebacker King Mwikuta is taking his talents to the Tigers.

“Deion Sanders has added yet another former Power 5 player to his roster at Jackson State. Ex-Alabama linebacker King Mwikuta recently joined the team, On3 has learned,” wrote Zenitz. “Mwikuta, who left the Crimson Tide in January, transferred to Arkansas State earlier this year but re-entered the transfer portal in early August.”

In three years in Tuscaloosa, the edge rusher recorded six tackles, and four of them came back when he was a true freshman. His biggest impact for the Tide was on special teams, where he had a sizable role for Saban’s bunch.

A former four-star recruit in the Class on 2019, Mwikuta was the No. 10 overall pass rusher in the country, according to the On3 Consensus. Additionally, the West Point, Georgia native was the No. 18 recruit out of his home state, while being ranked as the No. 150 recruit overall nationally.

More on Deion Sanders, Nick Saban

Moreover, King Mwikuta joining Jackson State while coming from Alabama comes after Deion Sanders and Nick Saban — his new coach and his former coach — had a war of words during the offseason. However, it looks like the duo squashed their beef at an Aflac commercial shoot, of all places.

Following Nick Saban’s controversial comments earlier this year where he insinuated Jackson State paid star recruit Travis Hunter to join their program, Deion Sanders made sure to respond to his Aflac partner.

Originally, Sanders revealed that he and Saban had not yet talked following the incident, and that it should take place publicly when they do so. Sanders still had a lot of respect and admiration for Saban as a football coach, but he did not like the comments.

“I haven’t talked to Coach Saban,” Sanders told Jean-Jacques Taylor after the controversy. “I’m sure he’s tried to call. We need to talk publicly — not privately. What you said was public. That doesn’t require a conversation. Let’s talk publicly and let everybody hear the conversation.

“You can’t do that publicly and call privately. No, no, no. I still love him. I admire him. I respect him. He’s the magna cum laude of college football and that’s what it’s going to be because he’s earned that. But he took a left when he should’ve stayed right. I’m sure he’ll get back on course. I ain’t tripping.”

Hunter, the basis of Saban’s jab at Jackson State, also responded to Saban’s suggestion of him earning $1 million to sign with Jackson State. He laughed off the suggestion, squashing that idea from Saban.

“I got A mil? (laughing face emoji)” questioned Hunter. “But my mom still stay in a 3 bed room house with five kids (laughing face emoji).”

Evidently, the behind the scene Aflac commercial shoot counts as a public conversation, as Deion Sanders has only love for Nick Saban at the moment.