At halftime against #20 TCU, even the haters had to take notice. The Colorado Buffaloes, in the midst of a complete program overhaul, held a 17-14 lead going into the break against the College Football National Championship runner-up.
Surely things would change in the second half. This lead was fun while it lasted but TCU would take over in the second half and restore order, right? About that. A back-and-forth 4th quarter put things into doubt for a minute but only for a minute. And here we are, wondering how Deion Sanders – Coach Prime – has worked a miracle. He’d not only led the Buffs to a stunning 45-42 victory, but he’d done it on the road against the team that had played for the national title a year prior. How did we get here?
Changing the Narrative
There are going to be a lot of questions about this Colorado season, but after beating TCU, the biggest one will be, “How did Coach Prime do it?” After all, the narrative in Boulder for the better part of a decade is that this once proud program was mired in mediocrity and would never come out again.
But Coach Prime changed that narrative right away. His confidence, his swagger, simply will not allow this program to be that same sad sack outfit. They may lose more than they win to start his career but Colorado Football will not simply roll over and die in the process.
Sanders is in a unique position. Almost no other coach can bring to the table what he can. Yes, there are other former players coaching but how many of them can say they are Hall of Famers? How many of them can say “I was the best at my position” and have a real argument?
Sanders can bring that unchallenged swagger to the program because it’s who he is. It’s how he fueled a Pro Football Hall of Fame career and won Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. And he’s using his reputation to his advantage.
Coach Prime was him, is him, and will be him #ColoradovsTCU #CoachPrime #DeionSanders pic.twitter.com/c9LQ7NODHj
— X-Tok (@X_tik_tok) September 3, 2023
Not Afraid to Change
Traditionally, when a new coach enters a program, it takes a few years to really see the difference in the roster. With changing transfer portal rules, Coach Prime didn’t wait. He brought mass change to Boulder, wanting to make an impact now in order to positively influence recruiting in the near future.
That meant major changes involving the transfer pool. To start the 2022 season – where the Buffs finished 1-11 – there were 83 scholarship players. After Coach Prime was done, just 20 of those scholarship players remained at Colorado.
In came a whopping 57 players from the transfer portal. Some from major college football programs like Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, and Tennessee. Unsurprisingly, 9 players came with him from his former gig at Jackson State, including his son Shedeur Sanders and dual-threat WR/DB Travis Hunter.
Sanders knew that the biggest method for change wasn’t to wait and slowly do things. He needs success of some kind this year and the fastest way to do it was to bring in players from other programs. The early returns have already been worthwhile.
Travis Hunter
Of course, the coach can only do so much at the end of the day. It is ultimately up to the players to do it and Sanders found himself a gem when he recruited Travis Hunter. A 5-star recruit in 2022, Hunter shocked the world when he turned down Florida State to go to Jackson State.
Even as a freshman, he looked like a different species, displaying dominant athleticism. And in the win against TCU, you could say it was the Travis Hunter Show. On offense, he caught 11 passes for 119 yards. On defense, he picked up a highlight reel interception. Hunter did it all and will continue to do so for the Buffs. Now, the key is to find a few more Travis Hunters.
Travis Hunter….🤯 pic.twitter.com/UGAH0XeF07
— NMD Grant (@NMDgrant) September 2, 2023
Realistic Expectations
Despite all of the transfers, all of the swag, and all of the hype, Sanders never put himself in a position to disappoint. He never promised a lofty win total that he knew he couldn’t live up to. He never guaranteed a bowl game or a Pac-12 division title.
Sanders simply said that he wanted to change things at Colorado. Even before the team set foot on the field against TCU, that’s exactly what he’s done. The win against TCU was merely icing on the cake, a reward for Colorado fans who have gone wanting for so long.
There is a lot of season left to play and Colorado will most certainly come back to Earth. But for now, it’s fun to think where this Colorado program will be in a year, or two, or three under Coach Prime.
