Deion Sanders entered the coaching world at Jackson State in Mississippi in 2020. He helped develop the Tigers to become one of the dominant programs in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Winning the SWAC title and a program-high eleven victories in 2021, Sanders would engine the historic recruiting flip of Travis Hunter from Florida State. Ironic because that is Deion Sanders's alma mater. Sanders led Jackson State to a 27-6 record over his tenure. University of Colorado (Boulder) was so impressed that they offered Coach “Prime” a new lucrative contract and Sanders agreed to coach the football team. This was a move that not only presented a big opportunity for Sanders, but Colorado was in desperate need of excitement and success.
What was once one of the sport’s top programs in the Big 8/Big 12 conference, Colorado has gone through one of the lowest falls from grace in modern memory. The last time Colorado played a pre-pandemic bowl game was in 2016, which was also the last season they enjoyed six wins or more. The Buffaloes have endured a losing record for 16 of the last 18 seasons, including Deion’s first year in Boulder. Coach Sanders is also the sixth head coach Colorado has hired in that span. Year one started well as Colorado won their season opener on the road versus Texas Christian University (TCU). The momentum and excitement that generated from that win helped the team go up to a 3-0 record including a titanic battle with in-state rival, Colorado State Rams.
Sadly (dependent on perspective), Colorado would lose eight of their final nine games. These losses included a humiliating and sobering blowout on the road in Oregon, an embarrassing debacle against Stanford in which Colorado led 29-0 at halftime, and a miserable cold night at Washington State by a score of 56-14. Granted, any knowledgeable CFB fan understood rebuilding this program would be anything but easy. Where the criticism mostly comes from, is that Coach Prime may seem to be more interested in self-promotion and the promotion of his sons who are on the team, rather than performing his actual job. Here are the examples.
Earlier this year, when the players returned from winter break, there was a team orientation in which team rules were explained and demanded by the coaching staff, led by Deion. The problem is that rules mandate all players to show up to team meetings and practices, but at orientation, two big absences were noticed. Shilo and Shedeur Sanders, sons of the head coach. According to him, the absences were excused for the Sanders brothers to attend and participate in a Louis Vuitton fashion show in France. Not consistent with the team’s supposed values. You also see the Sanders family in commercials ranging from Aflac to KFC to California Almonds and other sponsors.
Recently, Deion made headwaves in CFB media circles after recently admitting that he does not make off-campus contacts or visits his entire time in Boulder. Sanders used many excuses for not putting forth the recruiting effort, ranging from his fame to not wanting to waste the university’s budget, and even referenced his experience being recruited by Bobby Bowden. Hate to bust any bubbles, but Coach Deion’s fame doesn’t put him above what every other college coach does. Kirby Smart goes above and beyond to earn two National titles in Athens, so what makes Sanders above him? When Deion was at Jackson State, he had a personal film crew document his tenure at Jackson State and then brought the same film crew to Boulder. How does a film crew not funded by the institution help Sanders win games?
In addition, Sanders openly threw his offensive line under the bus after a loss and openly expressed that opponent coaches are more motivated to beat him than win the game. Coach Prime is making Colorado more about his promotion than actually about winning for the university. His fame alone is not going to convince recruits to come to Boulder if there is not a genuine effort to connect to high school players. His rosters are being built more by the transfer portal, which is not a true way of building teams in CFB. Colorado’s recruiting, excluding transfers, was 119th and was seven in total.
I am not rooting against Deion, but if he is not willing to put his ego last to build Colorado, he will have a bad fall from grace in the world of coaching.
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