Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and the Colorado Buffs didn’t disappoint in their nationally televised ESPN opening night of the college football season victory.
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum, whose feelings towards Sanders and his program has been a roller coaster of emotions, was definitely impressed with CU’s offensive performance and said on Friday morning, that he feels better about Colorado after the win.
“This is one of the most exciting duos I’ve ever seen in football in Shedeur and Travis Hunter,” said Finebaum who has been a college football guru at ESPN since 2013. “To me, they are the show.”
Finebaum did caution about getting too optimistic over an opening night win against an FCS school.
“The issues are going to come later, he said. “Can they stay healthy? Can they survive the gaunlet and can the rest of the team kick up a little bit more than that defense showed at times? Anything other than the win was a disaster.”
While most critics and supporters will critique or praise every win and loss as a measure of Coach Prime’s worthiness, it’s clear that he has dual missions since he arrived at Colorado.
His presence at Colorado has elevated the school’s standing among colleges nationally. His brand is working overtime, not just for himself but for the overall economic advancement of the University and surrounding areas.
Coach Prime, Sanders Brothers, Travis Hunter Made Colorado Cool Overnight
Prime’s arrival has increased the school’s social media presence as the Buffs went from 268K social media followers to an incredible leap to 2.26 million followers.
Merchandise sales have increased 505 percent.
University applications are up 51 percent among Black and African-American students, most notably males.
Also, Colorado home games are now among the most festive and followed in the college football landscape, with a reported $10+ million/home game direct economic impact into the Boulder community.
So the state of Colorado is reaping the benefits of the Coach Prime Effect, same as Jackson State did.
Winning and losing is very important, but it’s much easier to deal with a loss on the field when the product is generating guaranteed bags regardless of the outcome.
Coach Prime Effect Bigger Than Wins and Losses
In addition to making a bowl in his first season as a member of the Big 12, Prime wants to send as many players from his team to the NFL as possible. Nothing helps recruiting more than a track record of sending guys to the league and getting them the looks and attention needed to be scouted in the first place.
Sanders has been vocal about his son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way sensation Travis Hunter being potential No. 1 picks this season and Heisman winners.
So far both have delivered.
In a 31-26 victory over North Dakota State, Sanders threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns, while enduring some vicious hits from defenders. Three of those TD passes were to the unstoppable Travis Hunter, who not only locked down defenders as a cornerback, but had his way with NDSU’s secondary.
Part of Sanders’ mission every week is to make sure his top guys get seen on a national stage and are highly-touted NFL picks when April rolls around – regardless of the team’s overall record.
“31 NFL scouts were on hand tonight and I think they saw what they came to see,” said Sanders.
Welcome to the CU Buff’s show, where win or lose, you get to see two of the best players in college football and their lightning-rod head coach accomplish amazing feats that keep the national conversation heavily-centered on them and the state of Colorado.
Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter Are Changing The Game
They are calling Hunter the Shohei Ohtani or college football for his rare and pro level two-way abilities.
Shedeur has been a rising face of football since he entered Power Five competition and became the first college football player to ever sign an NIL deal with Nike, several days ago.
There will be ups and downs throughout the season. Remember, Colorado started last season 3-0 and then went 1-8 in their last nine games. The one consistent will be Shedeur and Hunter lighting it up while flying up the NFL draft boards.
