Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders has been "preparing his exit in order to take the head coaching job at Colorado," per ESPN's Pete Thamel, who provided more insight Friday evening:

"They're not doing a great job of hiding this," a Colorado staff source told Thamel. "If he backs out of this deal, it would be a huge problem for Colorado."

As Thamel noted, Sanders has publicly stated that Colorado has offered him the job. He added that "all signs point to him accepting it in the next 48 hours, as all the other candidates Colorado has engaged have been stalled after interviewing weeks ago."

The news comes one day before the 11-0 Tigers' SWAC Championship Game against Southern on Saturday. The winner will head to the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 to face North Carolina Central University, the MEAC champions.

If the deal becomes official, Sanders will inherit a massive rebuilding project. The Buffaloes had made two bowl appearances since 2006 and were arguably the worst Power Five team in the country in 2022. They finished 1-11 and had a point differential of minus-349.

To call Colorado a sleeping giant would be a stretch, but it does have the infrastructure to be a perennial bowl participant and possible threat in a new-look Pac-12 once USC and UCLA bolt.

The Buffaloes are also the kind of test that could help Sanders work his way toward a more prestigious job if he so desires.

The Hall of Fame cornerback has silenced his skeptics so far, and his success with the Tigers meant a step up to the FBS level was more likely than not. He told Jon Wertheim of 60 Minutes in October he was at least open to listening to offers.