Having just finished his first season with the Colorado Buffaloes at 4-8 and no bowl appearances, head coach Deion Sanders has turned his attention to the early signing period, which is now until Dec. 22.
In that time frame and even afterward Sanders is looking to upgrade his roster, which just wasn’t up to snuff in his first year in Boulder.
He’s got off to a great start by landing Jordan Seaton, a five-star recruit and the top-ranked offensive tackle in the 2024 recruiting cycle. That has led to other moves being made, as on Saturday Sanders hit the transfer portal and added what could be the other four starters (Tyler Johnson, Houston; Justin Mayers, UTEP; Yakiri Walker, UConn; and Kahlil Benson, Indiana) on his reshaped offensive line. This comes on the heels of Sanders announcing he plans to be in Boulder for the remainder of his coaching career.
Did Sanders Use Announcement As A Recruiting Tactic?
In an interview with “NBC News Now” on Friday, it seems like Coach Prime was using himself being a lifer at Colorado as a possible recruiting tactic.
“I love Boulder, Colorado, and Colorado,” Sanders said. “I’m not chasing finance. I’m not chasing the bag. I’m not chasing notoriety. I’m not chasing hype. I love what I do and I do what I love … and I love Boulder, Colorado. I don’t plan on being anywhere else in my coaching career.”
“It is my desire to one day retire, and just walk off … not walk off — I want to ride off on a white horse with a black hat in the sunset in Boulder, Colorado. Winning a championship. Championships. Plural. That’s what I want to do.”
Smart tactic by Sanders, who’s lost his fair share of highly recruited commits in the last few weeks, including 2025 four-star quarterback Antwaan Hill, the fifth-ranked signal-caller in the class. Coach Prime is now hoping his saying he’s there for the long haul will help bring in more highly coveted recruits and keep those that commit from then de-committing.
The Prime Effect Has Been Real
Sanders’ first year in Boulder saw a reported $113.2 million economic impact from home football games alone. Per Visit Boulder, the Colorado Buffaloes football program under Sanders helped the direct economic impact to be over $72 million for year one.
Every game at Folsom Field sold out this season, and the impact per game ranged from $16 million to $21 million.
Sanders says he isn’t leaving, and you know the CU Buffs administration doesn’t want to see him go elsewhere.
