The Colorado Buffaloes hired Deion Sanders to turn around a program that has managed double-digit wins in a season just once in 21 years.
His arrival in Boulder, Colorado, has brought instant attention to the Buffaloes as “Coach Prime” has gone about rebuilding a roster that went 1-11 in 2022.
Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes watches as his team warms up prior to its spring game at Folsom Field April 22, 2023, in Boulder, Colo. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
But not everyone sees Sanders’ arrival as a good thing for Colorado. One anonymous Pac-12 assistant coach told Athlon Sports the program is in a “lose-lose” situation with Sanders running the show.
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Sanders responded to a Yahoo Sports Instagram post highlighting the quote, and “Coach Prime” did not hold back.
“This is the Dumbest thing I’ve almost ever seen and Only reason I said almost is because I’m giving y’all time to top this stupidity. ‘We Coming’ and u know it. Love ‘Him’ !!!” Sanders wrote.
The anonymous coach questioned whether Sanders can win at the FBS level with his current roster at Colorado.
“It feels like a lose-lose for Colorado with Prime. Either he’s going to be really good really fast and leave for another gig, which, looking at that roster, doesn’t seem possible. The alternative is that they’re going to be bad, and they’ll end up firing him in a big circus,” the coach said via the Athlon Sports 2023 National College Football Preview Annual magazine.
Deion Sanders, CUs new head football coach, takes questions in the Arrow Touchdown Club during a press conference Dec. 4, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. (Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
“Jackson State was so good because they could get FBS-level guys and beat on FCS rosters. That won’t happen here,” the coach said. “They’re not a good roster right now. How does he handle losing big? We haven’t seen that.”
Sanders has ruffled some feathers with how he’s gone about rebuilding the roster at CU, bringing in the No. 1 transfer class in the country.
COLORADO’S DEION SANDERS IMPLORES PLAYERS TO STOP DOING THIS ONE THING
He’s taken advantage of an NCAA rule that stipulates first-year head coaches may cut players from a roster, though the university must honor the players’ scholarships.
Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi was highly critical of Sanders’ use of the transfer portal in a May interview with 247 Sports.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders acknowledges fans before the Black and Gold game at Folsom Field April 22, 2023. (Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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“That’s not the way it’s meant to be. That’s not what the rule intended to be. It was not to overhaul your roster,” Narduzzi said at the ACC’s spring meetings. “We’ll see how it works out but that, to me, looks bad on college football coaches across the country.
“The reflection is on one guy right now but when you look at it overall — those kids that have moms and dads and brothers and sisters and goals in life — I don’t know how many of those 70 that left really wanted to leave or they were kicked in the butt to get out.”
Sanders will get his first chance at showcasing his roster Sept. 2 against national championship runner-up TCU.
