Deion Sanders, also known as Coach Prime, is changing the scene of college football.
In 2020, he accepted a head coaching job at Jackson State University, a small HBCU (Historically Black College or University) in Mississippi.
Sanders accepted the offer with the intention of putting underfunded HBCUs on the map, and even used his own money to help improve Jackson State’s facilities.
In his first year, he coached Jackson State University to an undefeated record and won the SWAC Championship. He was also able to bring elite recruits, such as the number one player in the class of 2022, Travis Hunter, to Jackson State.
After two years at Jackson State, Coach Prime accepted a head coaching job at the struggling University of Colorado.
In 2022, Colorado had a 1-11 record. Coach Prime brought in elite recruits and transfers to the University of Colorado, and in their first game of the season they beat TCU, the 2022 National Champion runner-ups.
Sanders’ electric personality, hilarious interviews, and iconic reputation have drawn college football fans to Colorado.
“I think Deion Sanders’ charisma is what allows him to turn football programs around,” senior Aaron Paik said.
“It’s pretty obvious he is a great coach that really cares about his players and wants them to succeed.”
Sanders has also brought unprecedented viewership to Colorado football.
According to ESPN, Colorado’s rivalry game versus Colorado State peaked at 11.1 million viewers, making it the 5th most viewed college football game of all time.
As of late, Colorado has taken a few tough losses, including Oregon, USC, and Stanford.
Due to these losses, many sports analysts have started to claim that Colorado is overhyped and overrated.
“I believe that Colorado is a little bit overhyped right now, but they are still a very good football team,” senior Alex Cacos said.
“Their losses to USC and Stanford were close, and I believe that next year with more experience and a better defense Colorado will win those games.”
Many fans believe that Sanders has given Colorado football a bright future.
“In the next few years, I think Colorado will be able to make it to the college football playoffs,” senior Tyler Morales said.
“Winning a national championship is a stretch, but I believe Coach Prime has enough influence to be able to bring in key transfers and recruits to propel Colorado to one of the best teams in the nation.”
Sanders’ rapid success at Colorado has changed the scene of college football.
“After seeing Deion Sanders’ incredible performance at Colorado, I believe that we will see more schools following in Colorado’s footsteps,” Paik said.
“He turned an irrelevant struggling program into the most followed program in college football, and I think we will soon see big football schools like Auburn hiring former NFL stars like Coach Prime.”