Three-Point Stance: Deion Sanders, signing day impact, Travis Hunter

Rivals national columnist Mike Farrell is here with some possible landing spots for Deion Sanders next season, five teams that helped themselves perhaps edge into the national title race and how NIL continues to change the landscape of college football.

NSD: Winners and losers | NSD Blog | Travis Hunter spurns Florida State, signs with Jackson State | Breaking down team rankings

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CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State | JUCO

CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

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RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info/coverage on 2021 camp series

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Deion Sanders won the Early Signing Period and pretty much all of recruiting for the 2022 class by signing the No. 1 player in the country in Travis Hunter. Sanders' ability to recruit as well as his connections in the sports media world - not to mention his natural coaching ability and resume - make him a Power Five coaching candidate sooner than later. How soon? Maybe as soon as next season at any of these five programs.

1. Florida State — This seems to be the most logical school because Mike Norvell is still struggling to turn the program around, Deion is obviously loved in Tallahassee as a legend and he stole Hunter away from the Seminoles as proof of his recruiting prowess. Deion will be linked to FSU for every opening from here on out.

2. Mississippi State — Mike Leach is always one quote from being jettisoned from any job, especially in the SEC. His team did better than expected this season, but with Deion in his own state who knows what could happen?

3. Ole Miss — Lane Kiffin is always one job offer away from a new home and with his ties to Nebraska, the Cornhuskers may roll out the Brinks truck or someone else might sway him. It’s unlikely, but again Deion is in this state so if there is an opening for whatever reason, watch out.

4. Louisville — Why Louisville? Scott Satterfield is 18-18 so far, and things aren’t going that well so far. Louisville became dangerous recruiting the state of Florida under Charlie Strong, and Deion would kill Southeast recruiting there.

5. Baylor — Deion has as many ties to Texas as he does anywhere else, and he has played, lived and coached there. Dave Aranda became a popular name this season for big job openings and will be again if he has another good season. If there’s an opening in Waco, Deion will be contacted.

1. Texas A&M — This is arguably the best class we’ve ever seen from the Aggies, and the roster already has a ton of talent. They disappointed this season, for sure, but Connor Weigman is the real deal at quarterback and this class could help propel them past Alabama one season into the playoff. I said perhaps, though.

2. Texas — I know, I know. You’ve heard it all before. But couple Quinn Ewers with this class, which is loaded at offensive line and solid on defense, and maybe you have something here in a couple of years.

3. Penn State — Ohio State was thought to rule the Big Ten East with an iron hand, but Michigan dispelled that myth this year. Perhaps with the right offensive weapons Penn State can as well, because the defense will continue to be very good with this class and there are some intriguing offensive players here.

4. North Carolina — The ACC could be wide open if Clemson continues to struggle a bit and UNC really disappointed this season, especially on defense. But this class adds more depth and talent to a defense that had some young players this season.

5. Tennessee — What? Yes, getting past Georgia isn’t going to be easy, and Florida and others will be better, but the Vols' class is really good with some key defensive additions. And the offense will only get better with this wide receiver class.

And finally, we are just scratching the surface of the Name, Image and Likeness issue, and Travis Hunter showed us that on Wednesday. Did we really think it was over when D’Eriq King signed multiple deals at Miami or DJ Uiagalelei representing Dr. Pepper in Fansville? Or did we think we were done when Texas boosters offered future Longhorns $50,000 apiece just recently? Nope.

And it’s not over with Hunter choosing HBCU and FCS Jackson State and Deion Sanders over Florida State, Georgia and others for reportedly $2 million from Barstool Sports and others. Lost in the shuffle of the Hunter news were dozens, perhaps hundreds, of NIL deals that led players from the school they favored to the school that offered the most monetary opportunity.

And it’s only going to get worse. Wait, by worse I'm not implying that it’s a bad thing, right? Yes, I am, at least in one respect. Not because players don’t deserve to be paid (legally) for play, that’s something that should have been happening for years now. It’s bad because players are picking schools that may not be the best fit for them athletically, socially, geographically, academically and otherwise for some money now. And they could be sacrificing their NFL future, where the big money is, as a result.

Will Hunter make it to the NFL from Jackson State? I have no idea. He has the talent, for sure. Will he even stay at Jackson State? I have no idea about that, either, but you can bet there are some stipulations moving forward regarding a transfer in any deal he signed. But is it the best decision for his career? Likely not. He won’t be challenging himself against the best week to week as he would have in the SEC or ACC and won’t be pushed in practice by other potential NFL players. Those are simply facts and you can spin it any way you want, but it’s just not the best football decision and everyone knows it.

But with NIL money and the safety net of the transfer portal, why not take a chance, right? And part of this is great, honestly. I mean, a legit five-star football player would likely never look seriously at a HBCU program before NIL. Sure, those players could list a team in their top five out of respect. But actually go there? Well, it hasn’t happened in football - until now. And now Hunter can bring attention to a great program like Jackson State instead of being yet another five-star in the Power Five. So don’t get me wrong, there is good and bad here. It’s not a great football decision, but it’s great he can make this decision and he may have wanted to attend a HBCU all along.

NIL is good and bad and there will be good and bad stories, but Hunter is just the start of what we are going to see as a massive movement in college football. Hopefully it leads to more parity, better compensation for athletes in all sports and the freedom to do what you want to do. Let’s just hope this works out for him in the long term and he has a great career, heads off to the NFL and reaches his full monetary potential.

Godspeed young man.