Prime Time will be staying full-time in Colorado for the foreseeable future. Those wondering how long Deion Sanders would remain in Boulder no longer have to worry. Last week, the Colorado head ball coach signed a five-year, $54 million extension. His new deal will make him the highest-paid head coach in the Big 12 Conference and the fourth highest-paid in college football.
I know some of you are asking, “Is Deion worth over $10 million per year?” Call me crazy, but he is worth every penny and then some.
Think about what Colorado was like before Deion came along. It was about as dead as the Pac-12 itself. Even if you go back to their later years in the Big 12, it was clear that Colorado football was on the decline.
Prior to Deion’s arrival, the Buffaloes had just one season with nine or more wins from 2003 to 2022. Sanders reached that win total in less than three years, and he did it in the first year of a brand-new conference.
He did that by doing two things. The first thing he did was surround himself with a solid coaching staff. If you look at the coaches under him, there are several coaches there who have NFL ties. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is someone who spent over two decades as an NFL coach and Defensive Senior Quality Control Analyst Warren Sapp is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The other thing is recruiting. Deion and his staff have brought in a ton of talent to Colorado. Whether it’s in the transfer portal or at the high school level, Sanders has drawn the interest of many top players. Between the staff and the players on the field, Colorado is much better off than they were three years ago or even 20 years ago for that matter.
Not only has Deion made improvements off the field, but one could also argue that his most significant impact has been off of it. The university noted that applications have increased 20% from a year ago to over 67,000, including an 18% increase in applications from out of state.
According to the university, last season’s home football games generated a combined $93.9 million in direct economic impact on the city of Boulder and $146.5 million in total regional economic impact. Plus, Colorado sold out all but two home games last fall, marking the first time the Buffaloes have sold out four or more games in back-to-back seasons since 1995-96.
There is a reason they call Deion Sanders Prime Time. It’s because everything he does is Prime Time, and Colorado realizes that. It’s good for Athletic Director Rick George to make an unconventional hire and not be afraid to shake things up.
Could he have hired someone who costs half of what Deion will make? Sure, but would that coach be as valuable to the school and the city of Boulder? I seriously doubt it.
Don’t get me wrong; more than ten million dollars per year for a coach is a lot of money. But I would rather pay Deion that amount and make a lot more money overall than hire someone who costs half and doesn’t generate a third of what Deion brings to the table. He is worth than an extra five or six million and then some. Colorado Athletic Director Rick George pushed all his chips to the middle of the table and is walking away with a gold mine in Deion Sanders.
Whether you love him or hate him, Deion Sanders is a must-see television show. Not only does he bring value and eyeballs to Colorado, he also brings that to the Big 12. In a college football world where the Big 12 is looked upon as an afterthought, a guy like Deion Sanders is exactly what this conference needs.
