When Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder, Colorado three years ago, change was the keyword that resonated throughout the building.
In his first meeting with the Colorado players, Sanders proclaimed, “When God sends me to a place, he sends me to a place to be a conduit of change.”
TOP NEWS
After three seasons in Boulder, the change Colorado fans have seen is not exactly what Sanders had hoped for given his success at Jackson State.
Unfortunately, after another lopsided defeat, this time a 42-17 drubbing at the hands of Arizona State, Sanders’ time in Colorado, and likely college football may be coming to an end.
When Sanders, entered the college football landscape, he was a breath of fresh air. The excitement he brought to college football, as well as the HBCU world was palpable. Additionally, the city of Jackson, Mississippi received an economic sonic boom itself and welcomed him with open arms.
For me, I couldn’t get enough. As the offspring of HBCU attendees (my father an Morehouse alum and my mother attended Clark Atlanta University) as well as several family members who graduated from schools in the SWAC — seeing one of my all-time favorite athletes bring his lore and swagger to such a beloved, yet overlooked sector of college football was thrilling.
In three seasons at Jackson State, Sanders won two SWAC championships and Jackson State was now a household name for college football fans across the entire country.
Not only that, something I had never seen in my life (or thought I’d never see) was when ESPN’s College GameDay came to town and fans got an inside look at the beauty and history of HBCU’s. One could argue this was the crescendo of Sanders’ time spent at Jackson State.
With his success at Jackson State, Sanders was able to parlay his success at the HBCU level into a Power 4 coaching job — something we never see — and the hysteria only grew from there.
Black fans all across the country especially were looking for any and everything Colorado football and even staying up past midnight to support the Buffs on the strength of Coach Prime (guilty).
Deion Sanders injected a huge sense of pride for black college football fans from the moment he arrived at Jackson State. Photo courtesy of USA TODAY Sports.
However, after the success of the 9-4 2024 season, 2025 has been an utter disaster.
From recruiting blunders to time management issues to staffing problems, Colorado has been an absolute mess and it falls squarely on the shoulders of Prime.
With every press conference of failed promises of, “We’ll be better.” “We were the better team.” “I know the problem, and I’ll fix it.” Fans have grown tired as evidenced by the dwindling support in recent home games (43,348 on Senior Day against Arizona State).
While this season has not been ideal for Sanders from a health standpoint including battling bladder cancer in May and a blood clot scare in October, the problems stated earlier suggest it’s an operational issue.
To make matters worse, Rick George — the man who hired Sanders — has transitioned into a new role within the school. Colorado plans to hire a new athletic director, and from my experience, the new athletic director (if hired outside of the program), will undoubtedly be looking to replace Sanders.
Assuming Colorado finishes with an at-best 4-8 record, this gives Sanders a subpar 17-20 record in his three years, which for context has gotten coaches fired who may have fared better.
What Sanders has done for college football at both programs cannot be understated. He brought fame and notoriety to two programs, a Heisman trophy, and pride to Colorado who had been sitting at the doldrums of college football for quite some time.
However, college football is a bottom-line business driven by results. Sanders has not proven to build a sustainable program on the Power 4 level. And, given his stature along with his health concerns, it may be the last time we see him in Colorado and college football as well.
Brandon “Fresh” Williams is the Editor-In-Chief for Ball Exclusives. Follow him on X @TalkinWithFresh.
