Coach Prime or “Primetime” Deion Sanders?… Same Thing.

Many critics have Coach Prime’s recruiting and roster management techniques under significant ridicule due to his harsh delivery and what some perceive as a diva attitude. However, I’d like to point out that those same attributes many are against and criticizing may not be as bizarre as the world sees them and in fact may be what attracts the likes of high-level or star recruits in the first place.

As the season concluded Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffs finished with an overall record of 4-8. Now that isn’t the greatest show out for a team that had the anticipation of Colorado before the season due to their acquisition of Coach Prime. However, it is still an improvement compared to their overall record from the previous year, where they finished 1-11 under head coach Karl Dorrell. Due to this improvement in their win-loss record, it would be a sign of ignorance to declare that Coach Prime hasn’t proved himself worthy of the position and also displayed his knowledge of the game itself.

Ari Wasserman, a senior writer for The Athletic published an article titled “Deion Sanders’ poor recruiting results major issue for Colorado’s build.” In this article, Wasserman makes a claim in regards to Coach Prime’s blunt honesty with his players and their value within the team,  “That’s treating players like commodities, and it’s a tough sell for future recruiting efforts, both in the high school ranks and in the portal.” Even though there may be some truth to this statement, it seems Wasserman may have a small amount of bias when it comes to Coach Prime and his team.

“Treating players like commodities.” In this statement, Wasserman neglects to acknowledge the amount of pressure Coach Prime is enduring as the world waits for him to turn yet another struggling program into a more feared and winning one. As stated earlier in my writing it only took Coach Prime roughly a year to turn Jackson St. into a winning football program. To do this, Coach Prime bolstered his roster with many high-rated recruits and as the season began, based on his judgment of their performance put better players in starting positions.

 Now, on a nationally televised Division I level the world awaits Coach Prime’s triumph yet again. It is ridiculous to think that he would take his foot off the pedal, viewers must realize that Coach Prime’s main focus is to build his team and put them in the best position for them to succeed. This means that if he feels as though the players on his roster aren’t meeting expectations he has the right to sit them or even suggest a transfer to another program with a system they may fit better in.

In the article, Wasserman also brings into question the physical aspects of Prime’s recruiting. Wasserman states “Then it got me thinking: When was the last time you saw a picture of Sanders at a high school? Or doing an in-home visit?” As we read we find that during the recruitment of arguably Coach Prime’s best signing in his coaching career Travis Hunter who played for him at both Jackson State and now Colorado did not include Prime visiting the High School for which Hunter played. Instead, this 5-star player’s recruitment consisted of something as minimal as a Facetime call.

When diving into Coach Prime’s recruiting techniques it’s evident that his reputation plays a huge factor in that not too many think of when commenting on the efficiency of his recruiting itself. 

Wasserman claims “You may call that powerful recruiting, and it is. But that isn’t going to cut it when you’re trying to build a Power 5 program.”  The issue with this statement is that if Coach Prime was able to attract and sign who was said to be the nation’s highest ranking recruit in the class of 2022 among other notable recruits to low exposure and struggling program via a series of video calls and have success with the program. How could we possibly dismiss the idea of him having the same impact going into this next year after Colorado showed an improvement compared to previous seasons under other leadership?

Later in the article, Wasserman makes the claim “Eventually, though, Sanders is going to have to stop being a celebrity and start being a Power 5 football coach.” This statement stood out more than anything else mentioned previously in the article. For this statement, I want to divert our attention to Deion Sanders’ legacy before coaching. Deion Sanders was a Hall of Fame, multi-sport, multi-positional athlete whose impact as well as success earned him the nickname “PrimeTime.”

As stated previously Deion Sanders’ legacy as an athlete is what makes him the iconic coach everybody has their eyes on as he entered his stint with The Buffs.

Due to Deion’s success as an athlete under his leadership, his players gain more exposure for playing under his leadership and even are presented with the opportunity of meeting and possibly making connections with some of the world’s most popular celebrities. This interaction is described in “What it’s like to be recruited by Deion Sanders” an ESPN article by Staff Writer, Tom Vanhaaren. Vanhaaren recalls Colorado’s game against Colorado in early October. 

When Adrian Walker scheduled his unofficial visit to Colorado for the Week 3 game against Colorado State, he had no idea he’d be there with Lil Wayne, Master P, Offset, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. But that’s exactly where Walker and the other recruits on campus found themselves, in what is now the new norm with Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. It’s not just locker room tours and meetings with coaches, recruits are seeing a whole different pitch from Sanders and his staff.

In a YouTube segment titled “Deion Sanders is pulling off something INCREDIBLE right now in Colorado” Sports Analyst and TV Personality Stephen A. Smith mentions a statement made from The Buffs’ in-state school rival’s Head Coach Jay Norvell, who just as many others attempted to shame Coach Prime for his alleged diva antics ahead of their week 3 game. This time in in regards to Coach Prime’s hat and signature sunglasses he wears in interviews and press conferences. Coach Jay Norvell states, “When I talk to grown-ups I take my hat and my glasses off.”

In light of this statement from Norvell, Coach Prime retaliated by insisting his team, staff members, and fans show up to the game in their hats and sunglasses to display the irrelevancy of Coach Norvell’s statement. Coach Prime’s Buffs went on to win the game, posting record breaking viewership numbers for ESPN. Later in the video, Stephen A. commemorates Coach Prime’s ability to shift the culture and face of college football.

As a leader, as a recruiter, as a leader of men, as a football mind, as a talent evaluator, the opportunities that he’s opened up for coaches and players from “HBCU’s”. That’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities… is pivotal. It’s big because seeing what he sees, there’s only one, he’s one of one there’s only one “Primetime” Deion Sanders. But because of the talent that he’s brought with him, everybody knows that he isn’t succeeding by himself. He doesn’t fail to give his players credit, he doesn’t fail to give his coaching staff credit and if you’re getting them from HBCU’s and they’re succeeding it’s going to put ample pressure on College programs and NFL franchises to recognize what HBCU’s may indeed have to offer. That is culture changing, that is what Deion Sanders has pulled off . Every college football program gonna ask now “where’s my Deion Sanders?”

Despite what opposers may believe, Coach Prime and all he brings to the table benefit not only the teams he’s coached but also game of College Football as a whole. His achievements are nothing short of remarkable.

References

Wasserman, A. (2023, November 29). Wasserman: Deion Sanders’ poor recruiting results major issue for Colorado’s build. The Athletic. https://theathletic.com/5094370/2023/11/28/deion-sanders-colorado-recruiting-decommitment/# 

VanHaaren, T. (2023, October 4). What it’s like to be recruited by Deion Sanders. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/38555810/how-deion-sanders-recruits