Deion Sanders Jr. headed to Atlanta to play football

Deion Sanders will be sending his son to the Atlanta area to play football next year (AP)

Deion Sanders Jr., the son of the NFL Hall of Famer, will be playing football in the Atlanta area next year.

The 5-foot-8, 175-pounder will enroll in a prep school, The Atlanta Sports Academy, which is located 45 miles north of Atlanta in Dawsonville. The two Deions will visit the campus on Wednesday or Thursday.

The younger Sanders, like his famous pops, plays cornerback and wide receiver. Deion Jr. is a senior at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas, and said he bypassed the opportunity to sign football scholarships with Houston or North Texas last month.

Instead, the son of “Prime Time” will attend prep school with hopes of improving his college options. What options could those be?

Before Deion Jr. could reply, his father told the AJC on Monday night, “Let me intervene and answer that question: He’s not going to limit himself to what schools he’s going to generate excitement and attention for. The best possibility will be location, as well as some place where his talents will be utilized to play immediately. So we’re not going to say we want to be looked at by this school or that one because then you anger other schools. So we’re not going to get into that.”

Are there any “dream” schools that Deion Jr. wished to get evaluated by? Maybe an SEC or ACC school? Or his father’s alma mater of Florida State?

His father interjected, “We’re not going to say any schools … You’ve got to understand: I know the coaches at all those schools. We’re not doing it that way. He’s going to earn this and he’s going to do it with his talent, and not by my merit. I happen to know [college] coaches. So, we’re not doing it like that. He wants to earn it his way, and he wants all the schools to be attracted to talents, as well as his academic [achievements].”

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Here’s some more background on Deion Jr.: He played at three different high schools, settling at Marcus as a junior and starting at quarterback. He led an option attack that averaged more than 300 yards per game, according to ihigh.com. As a senior, Sanders switched to DB, WR, and Wildcat QB.

“I think he’s very raw as a cornerback, and that’s why he’s going to [prep school] to refine and perfect his game,” his father said. “He played cornerback last year and right now I think he’s a better wide receiver than anything. It’s just natural when he has the ball in his hands. He’s capable of making plays. But he really needs to refine his skills at cornerback because I think football longevity resides there more than anywhere.”

Deion Jr., who also starred in the TV reality show “Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love,” said he doesn’t feel as much pressure as people would think being Deion Jr.

“People have high expectations because of my name, but I guarantee that my expectations are higher than their expectations,” Junior said. “I don’t blame them for having those expectations. I feed off it. I love it. It’s motivation for me.”

Why the prep school in Atlanta? The wealthy Sanders could’ve sent his son anywhere. “I’ve done my homework and many of the prep schools are military based, real strict and disciplined,” the elder Sanders said. “He has no problem with that. He’s really a good kid, a mindful kid, a very respectful kid, and a great student. He passed all of his tests and entrance exams. He really wanted somewhere that was comfortable in a city that his mother could frequent and was an easy transition for a flight. I had a comfort level where I could easily get there in a couple of hours on a flight. It’s a place where we felt was a safe environment for him.”

How often will “Neon Deion” – who works as an NFL analyst during football season – get to see his son play?

“I got a lot going on, my man,” he said with a laugh. “I will be there when I can. Thank God everything is filmed and everything is taped. I don’t have to be next to him every day for him to know that I love him. He knows that.”

Here’s Junior’s highlight tape. Take a look at let us know what you think …

SINCE YOU LAST LEFT YOUR DESKTOP …

• BIG NEWS for UGA with Robert Nkemdiche, nation’s No. 1 overall prospect
• “Prime Time” II? Deion Sanders Jr. headed to Georgia to play football
• Success or Failure?? Good turnout but zero commitments at UGA’s V.I.D. or “Very Important Dawg” junior day
• UGA and Alabama are co-leaders for top DB but …

IT’S NEVER BORING IN THE WACKY WORLD OF RECRUITING

• Steve Spurrier on recruiting success: We’re 8-0 vs. UGA, Florida, Tennessee and Clemson
• Kentucky appreciative to win “trust factor” with ex-Alabama commit Justin Taylor
• Lane Kiffin gets a good laugh about Tennessee’s blame game
• Nick Saban mails 105 letters in ONE DAY to Atlanta RB
• “The story that won’t go away” … Alabama’s grayshirt scandal
• Derek Dooley rips anything & everything to do with SEC’s new over-signing rules
• Meet the Bulldogs (UGA’s 2012 class)
• Meet the Yellow Jackets (Georgia Tech’s 2012 class)

– By Michael Carvell, AJC Recruiting Blog

Got an item? mcarvell@ajc.com

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