Deion Sanders, aka “Coach Prime,” has taken over the college football program at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He was at one time standout cornerback at Florida State, and followed it up with a flashy career on multiple teams in the NFL from 1989-2005. Sanders may be most famous for playing both Major League Baseball and for the NFL simultaneously, a feat only few have been able to achieve, which includes the man dubbed “Superman” Bo Jackson. Currently, he is the head football coach at University of Colorado Boulder, and was formerly the head coach of Jackson State University.
Sanders told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon his “Coach Prime” nickname was not derived from the gridiron or the baseball diamond, but rather from the hardwood. After a basketball game at North Fort Myers High School where Sanders finished with 37 points, a friend said, “You know what man, you’re prime time,” and it stuck. Sanders kept the nickname for his antics, speed, interceptions, punt returns, gold chains, and overall buzz. He took off the helmet, put on a headset, and the label “Coach Prime” was born. In December 2022, Colorado announced they were hiring Deion Sanders as their head coach, finally giving him the big time Power 5 shot he was looking for.
After a brief coaching career at Prime Prep Academy, which he co-founded, the school was shut down due to a slew of academic and financial problems. He then became the coach at Triple A Academy, before moving to Trinity Christian High School as the offensive coordinator to coach his sons, Deion Jr., Sheduer, and Shilo. In 2020, Sanders earned the head coaching position at Jackson State University, an HBCU (Historically Black College or University), almost off his name alone.
Then something unprecedented and unbelievable happened that shook the college football landscape: Coach Prime was able to flip the commitment of the number one recruit in the incoming 2022 class, star cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter. Hunter was initially committed to Florida State University, a long-time blue blood program and Sanders’ alma mater. The move was highlighted by recruiting director Steve Wiltfong, who said it is, “the biggest signing day moment in the history of college football.”
Because HBCU’s are a subdivision of college football’s championship series, similar to the Ivy league schools, they are rarely, if ever, a destination for high level recruits like Travis Hunter. According to HBCU Post, before 2019, when the Houston Texans selected Tytus Howard with the 23rd overall pick out of Alabama State, you had to go back to 2000 to see an HBCU player selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Teams like Jackson State rarely see commitments from players in the top 300 recruits, let alone the number one.
With his son Sheduer as his quarterback and Travis Hunter playing wide out and cornerback, Sanders led the team to a 12-1 record and were champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Once Sanders accepted the job at Colorado, his departure from Jackson State came under heavy fire as he had previously told the school that he would stay with those recruits the entire four years. However, Sanders took over a team that had gone 1-11 a season prior, and delivered an infamous speech. During a ten minute long rant posted to the CU BUFFS Twitter account directed at the potential returning CU players he shared that, “There will be no more embarrassment to this school, administration, and those wonderful fans who fill that stadium every Saturday.” He then added, “I am bringing my luggage with me, and it’s Louis [Vuitton] so hop in that portal.” Sanders was referring to bringing stars like Travis Hunter and his two sons. The transfer portal is a system that allows college athletes to switch schools without losing a year of eligibility, Sanders has used the portal to fill almost his entire roster. Only 10 scholarship players returned from a roster of 86.
The jury is still out on whether or not Sanders can and will be a successful coach at this level of college football, and though it is clear he can attract talent, coaching consists of so much more than that. Sanders sure had his doubters coming into the season, even by some anonymous coaches who stated he “could never be a successful coach in the Power 5.” Many coaches questioned his antics and personality, like when Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell said, “My mother taught me when I talk to grown-ups, I take my hat and sunglasses off,” before a game with Colorado.
We saw Coach Prime make his mark in his first week of play when the Buffalos knocked off last year’s National Champion runner-up Texas Christian University (TCU) on the road as 21-point underdogs. Only time will tell whether Sanders can eventually reach the top of the college football mountain, but he sure has already shaken the game as we know it.
