Since before the 2024 season even began, rumors started that Deion Sanders was looking to go to the NFL once his sons, Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders, left Colorado.
Despite several attempts to disarm the chatter, the rumors persisted and reached their peak when reports that Jerry Jones and Sanders were meeting about a coaching vacancy with the Dallas Cowboys.
Ultimately, the Cowboys went with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Coach Prime stayed with the Buffaloes. Still, folks seem to be questioning his commitment to Colorado, seeming to suggest that CU is nothing more than a stepping stone for the NFL Hall of Famer turned college football coach.
Last week, Sanders appeared on ESPN’s First Take and discussed the issue directly.
“I don’t think they took a chance, because there’s a difference between a chance and opportunity. I’m an opportunity, I’m not a chance. Let’s get that straight,” Sanders said. “I love Colorado. I’m not using them as a stepping-stone to land anywhere else. I absolutely love it there. I love Rick George (Colorado AD). I love everything about the city, the town, the school, the campus. I love everything about the community.
“I like it, because it’s our thing. You know, what we built around it — it’s our thing. Our coaching staff is impeccable, laced with a plethora of people that have matriculated from the NFL. I love that environment. So, I love the college game. I really do.”
There’s nobody in Boulder pushing Sanders out the front door, either, as Colorado football is as relevant as its been in a quarter century. Coach Prime inherited a 1-11 football team and went 4-8 in his first years the head coach, but Year 2 produced a 9-4 season and a Heisman Trophy winner.
While there’s a lot of talent to replace in 2025, Colorado’s gathered more talent on the football field than its had in decades, and if there’s anyone that can turn the Buffs into a perennial winner, there’s a better chance than not that that guy is already in the building.
