Schoffel: Is Deion serious about coaching FSU? Would the 'Noles listen?

In case you missed it late Thursday night, Deion Sanders apparently wants to be considered for Florida State's vacant head coaching job.

How do we know "Prime Time" wants to be considered? It was reported by one of his colleagues at the NFL Network, Ian Rapoport.

And then quickly followed up -- three minutes later -- with an endorsement from another of his colleagues at the NFL Network, Rich Eisen.

So, yeah, Sanders at least wants everyone to know that he's interested in becoming Florida State's next head football coach.

As you might imagine, this will be a situation that FSU has to handle in a completely respectful way. If he’s really serious about it — more than just a passing thought — the Seminoles' top brass definitely have to listen to him. He’s arguably the most famous athlete in school history.

There is no way FSU is going to just outright dismiss Deion Sanders. He and his image are too important to the university. And if other former players rally behind him, it will be even more important that the school pays him proper respect.

At the same time, it's almost inconceivable to imagine FSU hiring anyone — even a legend like Sanders — with no real coaching experience.

*ALSO SEE: With time on its side, FSU can be prudent with this coaching search

So this is one of those situations where the national media -- and certainly rival fans -- are going to have a lot of fun with it, but FSU will have to be measured in how it handles the topic.

The Seminoles have been through this before. If you recall, Sanders publicly flirted with the idea of coaching defensive backs under Willie Taggart when Taggart was assembling his staff two years ago.

FSU offered no official comment at the time, but I did ask former defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews what he thought about the situation. This was his response:

If you're looking for more updates on Florida State's coaching search, check out our Updates Thread on the Tribal Council. It is being updated throughout each day, as news becomes available.

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Contact managing editor Ira Schoffel at ira@warchant.com and follow @IraSchoffel on Twitter.