By Robert Wilson
NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders – now known as Coach Prime – brought renewed enthusiasm and winning to Jackson State for the past three years.
And if Saturday’s spring game is any indication, Sanders is doing the same thing as his new home in Colorado.
An overflow crowd of 47,277 fans – more than the last nine spring games combined and more than all but two of last year’s regular season home games – braved the snow and cold to come watch the first Colorado spring game under the direction of the flamboyant Sanders, who stood out with his puffy vest with “Prime” stenciled on it, wearing a white cowboy hat and a gold whistle around his neck. Sanders wore a shirt that read, “I ain’t hard 2 find,” a phrase he uses to tell players, under his winter coat. His assistant coaches wore sweatshirts with “We Coming” written on them.
The game was televised by ESPN and the other only spring game in the country televised by the network was two-time defending national champion Georgia.
There were dozens of former Colorado players at the game, some from the national championship team of 1990. The national championship trophy was even on display.
There were media there from all over the country.
Former Colorado star quarterback Kordell Stewart is very high on Sanders and believes he has not only energized the program and fan base, but the wins will be coming.
“Coach Prime’s effect is beyond words when it comes to this institution,” said Stewart in a news conference this week. “He has re-energized how we think about football. It’s like there was a plug that was sitting on the floor next to the socket and someone had to be brave enough to put it in the wall and get this thing lit up again.”
Stewart – who set school records at Colorado in the 1990s and played 11 seasons in the NFL – and Sanders know each other from playing against each other in the NFL. They played against each other in the Super Bowl in 1996, Stewart with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Sanders with the Dallas Cowboys.
“This dude played it. He’s done it. He’s seen it,” Stewart said. “He always had the opportunity to identify talent — he was one of those talents that had to be identified. You look at all of the things that he’s done overall, it’s kind of hard to say what he doesn’t know when it comes to talent. Just look at the body of work, two Super Bowl (rings), the World Series — just winning across the board. Then he goes to Jackson State and turned that program around, literally overnight.”
Getting former players like himself back is a big plus.
“What Coach Prime is doing with all the players coming back, it’s well overdue,” Stewart said. “To know that guys want to come back, they’re asked to come back, they’re needed to come back, is great. To see that it is happening this way, that positive energy, it matters. And so for me I’m really excited to say the least.”
“I’ve never seen this type of energy. This is the spring game, remember, a scrimmage,” Jeremy Bloom, who played wide receiver and a star return man for Colorado in the early 2000s, told the New York Post. “It’s unbelievable. Coach Prime has exceeded everybody’s expectations. I think a lot of people knew, including me, that if we could get him here, the buzz would be back. I don’t think anybody imagined this — even in your wildest expectations.”
Last year’s Colorado spring game had only 1,950 fans and it was free to come watch. Colorado charged $10 per ticket this season and drew an overflow crowd, one of the biggest spring game crowds in the country this year.
Colorado has sold out its season ticket allotment for this fall, the first time that’s happened since 1996.
That’s how big a stir Sanders is causing across the country with his move to Colorado, a program that hasn’t had much success in the past several decades.
But Sanders is trying to change that with 42 new players from the transfer portal, including his son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders and wide receiver-defensive back Travis Hunter – rated the No. 1 high school player in the country two years ago. Both Sanders and Hunter transferred from Jackson State.
“I’m amazed and stoked, if that’s the proper word, about the attendance, the energy and electricity,” Deion Sanders said in his postgame news conference. “Walking out of the locker room with the team was unbelievable. It was one of those moments that you will never forget.”
Sanders completed 16 of 19 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, including a 14-yarder for Hunter for the first score of the game, and a 98-yard TD to Montana Lemonious-Craig. Sanders also ran for a TD.
“I was looking for certain people to do certain things,” Deion Sanders said. “And the people I was looking to do certain things did those things well.”
“I will say we’re heading in a great direction,” Shedeur Sanders said. “Now, I know what I want. Back then when I was younger, I didn’t understand what I wanted. So I had to learn a lot. I have a couple years under my belt now, so I know exactly what I want, and I know how to get the best out of guys. I know what’s going to make Travis play his best, I know how to make Montana play his best and (wide receivers) Jimmy (Horn Jr.) and Kaleb (Mathis). Now we know exactly what we want and I’m able to really step up and lead us in the right direction.”
Father and son Sanders led Jackson State in the right direction while they were here. The talented duo guided the Tigers to 27-5 in three seasons, including back-to-back SWAC championships. Not only did Coach Sanders win, but he also brought millions of dollars to the school and program by giving national attention through his social media channels and being interviewed by national media.
Sanders brought in talented players to Jackson State, and he has done the same at Colorado. He is not yet finished with Colorado’s roster. There were a lot of recruits at the spring game and there will probably be more players coming to Colorado through the transfer portal in the near future.
Colorado ranks No. 21 nationally in the 247 sports recruiting rankings, the highest ranking since 2008.
“We’re trying to find smart, tough, fast and disciplined players so they can retain these things,” Sanders said. “And, play fast like we desire them to play. Those are the types of guys that we’re going to get, and we got right now.”
Colorado won only one game last season and has had only one winning season since 2005. The Buffaloes only win last season was a 20-13 overtime victory over California at home.
Sanders uses the phrase “We Coming” often since he arrived at Colorado and apparently the Buffaloes are.
Colorado opens the season at 2022 national runner-up TCU Sept. 2 in Fort Worth. TCU won 38-13 last year at Boulder.
Colorado’s first PAC-12 game is Sept. 23 at Oregon. Colorado lost to Oregon 49-10 last season at Boulder.
Sanders promised change and change in underway. He said that in his introductory news conference when he was hired in December.
“We’re going to out-work them, we’re going to out-recruit them, we’re going to out-scout, we’re going to out-develop, we’re going to get our education, we’re going to graduate these young men,” Sanders said. “These young men are going to be on campus, respectful and considerate and kind, open opening doors for you and making sure everything is copacetic. They going to say ‘yes, sir, no sir; yes, ma’am, no ma’am,’ or they’re going to have to deal with me. That’s just the way I father, that’s the way I parent, that’s the way I coach. I’m old school. Sometimes I may look like an old fool, but I’m just old school.
“I have never been one for peer pressure. I put pressure on peers. I never wanted to worry, I make people worry. I don’t get down like that. I am too darn confident. That is my natural odor. I don’t even wear cologne. That is confidence I am wearing. I don’t worry because I know the resources and the staff that we’re putting together, and I know the work ethic we have, and I trust. This staff is going to comfort the heck out of me and we’re going to be good.”
