We Comin’: How Deion Sanders Shook up the College Football Landscape

It’s been two months since the college football world was set ablaze with the news that Deion “Prime Time” Sanders would become the new head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. Merely weeks after Colorado had finished their abysmal 1-11 season, they instantly became the focus of the college football world. A once nationally prominent program, that had fallen to the bottom of the college ranks, instantly became the most relevant program in the nation. Coach Prime sent the college football world a message: I’m Coming.

Who is “Coach Prime”?

Deion Sanders’ doesn’t need any introduction. The NFL and CFB Hall of Famer has done it all on the gridiron and has begun to show what he can do on the sidelines. Sanders became the head coach of Jackson State University, a historically black university in Mississippi in 2020. After going 4-3 in the COVID-shortened season in 2020, Sanders led Jackson State to two-straight SWAC championships and appearances in the Celebration Bowl.

The move to Colorado was met with confusion. Colorado’s position wasn’t exactly appealing: the team had just suffered a 1-11 season and had not been to a bowl game since 2016. It was also hampered by transfer requirements that meant they could not recruit the level of talent necessary to compete with the best of the PAC-12. Enter Deion Sanders, one of the most entertaining and polarising personalities in football. He was the perfect head coach to turn around a program lost in irrelevance.

Feeling The Effects

The moment Sanders was introduced, the college football world was put on notice. Colorado instantly became a must-see school for every recruit in the nation and Sanders knew that. In just under two months, Sanders put together one of Colorado’s most talented recruiting classes. It was headlined by five-star prospect and the number one cornerback recruit in the nation, Cormani McClain. Coach Prime sent a powerful message to the entire country: Colorado is here to compete. 

“I absolutely love Boulder, Colorado,” said Sanders. “It was a hidden gem for me. I can’t wait until I get into a home, lay down, chill, have a dog, and call a place home.”

Sanders’s biggest impact hasn’t been in turning around a nationally irrelevant program or making massive strides in the recruiting game; it has been the hope and confidence he has instilled in Colorado. The 1990 season was the pinnacle of Colorado football. It saw Colorado win their only national championship to date. From that point on, the program has slowly fallen out of the spotlight, leaving fans very little to be excited about. In the second press conference since being hired, he re-affirmed what has become his go-to phrase: We Coming!

“We embody that; we are training down that weight room because we’re coming,” said Coach Prime. “Our coaches are up there preparing practice scripts and game plans because we’re coming. We are coming and we are serious about that.”

Time Will Tell

If it wasn’t clear before, Deion Sanders is here to make Colorado a powerhouse once again. He has proved it in the way he talks to the media, the way he has recruited a class full of talent the likes Colorado has not seen in a long time; all that remains is for him to prove it on the field come September. There is one thing for sure: all eyes will be on Coach Prime and Colorado.