Colorado Buffaloes first-year head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was a wanted man after he built Jackson State into an instant HBCU powerhouse.
Sanders enjoyed a ton of success in his first college coaching gig, making his name synonymous with bigger jobs. At one point Sanders was a candidate for the TCU, Auburn, Cincinnati, South Florida and of course the Colorado job, which he took.
NBA legend Charles Barkley knows what the Buffaloes got in Sanders, and while he would’ve rather seen Coach Prime down on The Plains at Auburn, he’s excited for what he believes Sanders is going to do at Colorado.
In a recent interview with The Denver Post, Barkley raved about his friend Sanders.
Sir Charles Says Sanders Will Have Success In Boulder
During his three seasons at JSU, Sanders enjoyed immense success compiling a 27-6 record, including back-to-back SWAC championships and back-to-back Celebration Bowl appearances.
Now he’s tasked with trying to fix a once booming Colorado program that’s been rather dormant since the late ’90s. In his interview with the Post, Barkley told Sean Kessler, “Sanders is going to be successful. I like him a lot as a person, and Colorado got very lucky.”
Barkley’s belief in what Coach Prime is selling runs deep, but Sanders definitely has got his work cut out for him.
Barkley Wanted Sanders At Auburn
Prior to Colorado landing Sanders, Auburn was pretty heavily vested in bringing him to the SEC.
That reportedly came to an abrupt halt when they weren’t willing to give Sanders control of the program. The Tigers have since hired former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze, and while he’s a proven Power Five coach himself, Barkley would’ve loved seeing Sanders at his alma mater.
“I don’t know why, man, I can’t answer that question,” Barkley said about Auburn not hiring Sanders. “It’s going to be great for (Colorado).”
Barkley recently made the first installment ($100,000) of a $1 million pledge he made to Sanders’ former school, JSU, in December.
Things get started for Sanders and the Buffs with a tough road game at national runner-up TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sept. 2.
