Hall of Famer and eight-time pro bowler Deion Sanders was named the 1994 AP Defensive Player of the Year and won two Super Bowls throughout his 14-year career. Sanders recently took his years of football knowledge to the coaching scene in 2020.
“I think he was great for the Dallas Cowboys and the greatest cornerback of all time,” senior Cole Green said.
Sanders was nicknamed Primetime because he was one of the biggest personalities in the sporting industry. So when Jackson State announced him as their new head coach in late 2020, all eyes shifted towards the program and Prime, however, many had their doubts. Sanders had proven himself on the field, but many still questioned his move behind the playbook.
“I just felt like it was kind of a publicity stunt, just trying to get himself into the coaching scene and get a lot of views,” senior Haakon Arneson said.
Sanders went 27-6 as Jackson State’s head coach with both his sons Shedeur and Shilo Sanders performing well for the team. After helping Jackson State win their first Southwestern Athletic Conference football championship since 2007, Sanders announced his move to the Colorado Buffaloes. Although Prime only saw success at Jackson State, the media did not have as much faith in him at the Power Five level, prompting ESPN head sports analyst Michael Wilbon to say “I don’t give him much of a chance.”
After schedules were set for the 2023 college football season, the Buffs ranked 19th in the nation in strength of schedule, opening their season visiting the 2022 National Championship runner-up Texas Christian Horned Frogs. The Horned Frogs were three-touchdown favorites at home and given a 90% chance to win by ESPN’s analytics team.
“I thought they were gonna get smacked; I didn’t think they were gonna be any good,” Arneson said.
However, Colorado and Prime won the game by a close margin of three points after a masterful performance from starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders, throwing for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns.
“Nobody believed in us man, and it just showed me a lot about how people is. They let names and power five and stuff get to their head,” Shedeur Sanders said in a post-game interview with Fox Sports.
After another strong win against FBS powerhouse Nebraska in week two, FOX announced that Colorado had brought in 15.9 million views through their first two games, higher than any other team in the FBS.
With this news and the hype around Colorado and Prime, ESPN’s College Gameday announced they would be traveling to Boulder for the first time since 1996 for the Buff’s upcoming game against rivals Colorado State.
After a thriller in double overtime thanks to another four-touchdown performance from Shedeur and an 80-yard pick-six from younger brother Shilo, the Buffs barely escaped with their third win of the season, pushing them to a 3-0 record for the first time in over five years.
“I can’t say enough about my brother Primetime Deion Sanders; he’s one of one,” ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said on his show after the buff’s historic start to the season.
Prime and Colorado made it to week four and, against all odds, remained undefeated. However, their toughest task lay ahead as they were set to face No. 10 Oregon and No. 8 USC over the next two weekends.
The Buffs went into Oregon once again three-touchdown underdogs. However, unlike the last time they were big underdogs, the Buffs were outscored by 35 points in the first half and then by another point in the second. The Buffs lost 42-6 against the Ducks, putting an end to their historic undefeated streak, and causing many to question what went wrong.
“We played like hot garbage; that was a good old-fashioned butt-kicking,” Deion Sanders said. “This is the worst we’re gonna be.”
After the rough loss, Colorado dropped out of the top 25 rankings and was set to host Heisman Caleb Williams and his USC Trojans at home. They went into the game almost four touchdown underdogs, but thanks to another outstanding performance from Shedeur Sanders, they stayed close until the end. Sanders led the Buffs to a 14-point fourth quarter, only coming up short by seven points in the end to one of the best teams in college football.
“I think Colorado has looked better but will definitely bounce back and play good the rest of the season,” junior Jason Bouajram said.
Colorado now looks ahead to the rest of their season with five games remaining, including a match-up against rival Utah, with a Pac-12 Championship shot still very much on the line.
