The Spire

Ben Kuchipudi ’25

Sports Editor

In 2020, Jackson State hired Deion Sanders to become their new head coach, and his presence was immediately felt. In his first full season as coach, he won the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the top coach in the FCS, and led Jackson State to the Celebration Bowl where they would eventually fall to South Carolina State. That offseason, Coach Prime had his signature moment as a coach. Travis Hunter, one of the most highly recruited prospects in years, originally committed to Florida State, Sanders’ alma mater, but Sanders was able to get Hunter to decommit and sign with Jackson State. That same season, he once again led the Tigers to the Celebration Bowl, but they would be defeated once again. After the 2022 season, he announced that he would be leaving the program to transform another program: The Colorado Buffaloes.

In 2022, Colorado was the laughing stock of the college football world, finishing last in the Pac-12 with a 1-11 record and a point differential of -349. Things needed to change, so Colorado brought in Coach Prime to turn them around. He brought in several Jackson State Tigers with him, most notably his two sons, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and safety Shilo Sanders, and athlete Travis Hunter. The hype around Colorado this season was real, but the betters did not see the vision, as the Buffalos were projected to win only three games this season. 

They got tested in their very first game of the season, as they were slated to play TCU, a team that lost many key pieces but had just gone to the National Championship the previous year. The spread for this game was TCU -21, but Coach Prime and Colorado didn’t care about the odds, as they came into Carter Stadium and beat the Horned Frogs 45-42. Shedeur Sanders played a perfect game as he threw for 510 yards and four touchdowns. The true freshman Dylan Edwards had 160 total yards and four touchdowns. Travis Hunter also made his presence known on both sides of the field. He had 11 catches for 119 yards as a receiver and an interception as a corner. His signature moment came when TCU fans told their quarterback to throw at him, and Hunter proceeded to pick off the pass, much to the chagrin of those fans. In their home opener against Nebraska, Shedeur threw for another 393 yards and two touchdowns and the Buffaloes blew out the Cornhuskers. Before their next game against Colorado State, Rams coach Jay Norvell poked the bear by taking a shot at Coach Prime, saying that when he talks to grown-ups, he takes off his hat and glasses, which was clearly a dig at Sanders’ style. The game must-see television, with tickets going for over $500 for the in-state rivalry matchup. Both Sanders made their presences known, with Shedeur throwing for over 300 yards and four touchdowns yet again and Shilo returning an interception 80 yards to the house. Colorado won 43-35 in double overtime. 

The effect that Deion Sanders has had on not just Colorado, but college football in general is truly amazing. It’s always great to see a legend in a sport give back to kids who are looking to achieve their dreams of making it into the pros. Sanders completely turned around Colorado and made them into a place where prospects want to play, as Shedeur and Hunter are legit Heisman candidates and are likely going to be top ten picks in the 2025 Draft. Not many coaches have the ability and swagger to turn around a program, but Coach Prime was able to do it for Jackson State and now Colorado. I know Sanders said he’s not looking to coach in the NFL, but I wouldn’t be shocked at all if a team offers him a contract soon. I think Sanders should stay in college football. He already made his impact in the NFL, and it’s clear that he wants to help college athletes reach their full potential. Colorado already smashed their over/under in wins, and this week they travel to Oregon to play the No. 10 Ducks, who are favored by 21 points. But as we saw against TCU, Coach Prime doesn’t care about betting odds, and we will see if Colorado can once again upset a top-ranked team.

Addendum: Oregon defeated Colorado 42-6, but it is still incredible to see how drastically Coach Prime has changed the Buffaloes for the better.

Featured image courtesy of NBC Sports