The Curious Case of Neon Deion
How Deion Sanders, two-sport extraordinaire and celebrity icon, has changed the coaching landscape—and what might be next for college football.
“Do you believe?”
With those three words, the power shifted in the press room.
Deion Sanders, the head coach of the University of Colorado-Boulder football team, called out a doubting reporter after a victory against Texas Christian University on September 2, 2023. TCU’s Horned Frogs were heavy favorites to win the match; they played in the national championship game the previous season, whereas Colorado posted a pitiful 1-11 record. Before kickoff, the spread stood at TCU -21, and given a plentiful number of returners to their roster, it should be no surprise that Colorado was a three-touchdown underdog.
But you would not realize these odds if you turned your gaze to Boulder. Or to any sports channel on television.
News of Sanders’s hire at Colorado circulated throughout the sports world, with some commentators calling this season’s development the “biggest story in all of sports.” In college and professional sports, coaches rarely get the spotlight for their respective teams. This attention is typically thrust onto the players; coaches merely receive praise or criticism depending on how their players perform. Given Sanders’ reputation within sports culture and media, though, it’s hard not to see why he is the star of UC’s Buffaloes.
Sanders was a professional football and baseball player from the 1980s to the 2000s. His athleticism, attention to detail, and attitude turned him into an icon, his popularity oozing into celebrity culture. Sanders’ penchant for flashy jewelry, high-stepping into the end zone, and flaunting his famous friends — most notably MC Hammer — aided in cultivating his famed nickname “Prime Time.”
Sanders previously served as the head football coach at Jackson State University, a historically black university and a member of the Football Championship Subdivision. Schools in either category scarcely receive national attention or big-name athletes, but Coach Prime’s presence at JSU changed this. Most notably, in the 2022 recruiting class (i.e., leading into the 2022 college football season), Sanders flipped Travis Hunter, a wide receiver/cornerback and five-star recruit, from Florida State University to JSU. This decision marked the first time a five-star recruit has signed with an FCS program. And from Hunter’s writings on social media following his announcement, it was clear that playing at an HBCU held a great deal of weight:
“I am making this decision so that I can light the way for others to follow, make it a little easier for the next player to recognize that HBCUs may be everything you want and more: an exciting college experience, a vital community, and a life-changing place to play football.”
Sanders led JSU to a combined 27-8 record over three seasons, culminating in back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference titles. His success at JSU prompted attention from Football Bowl Subdivision programs needing strong coaching, and Colorado won the lottery.
After being hired in December 2022, Sanders publicly encouraged many Colorado players to join the transfer portal, citing his desire to overhaul a lackluster roster. Since the National Collegiate Athletic Association enacted the transfer portal in 2018, no singular team has seen more movement than this year’s Colorado squad, with 61 players leaving the program since the hiring of Sanders. Despite this historically large outflow of players, Sanders brought in numerous other talents, including Hunter and his two sons, Sheddeur and Shilo.
The roster was not the only overhauling Sanders spearheaded at the beginning of his Colorado tenure. Every member of the coaching staff this season is a new hire, with many who served as assistants to Sanders during his time at JSU.
The incessant offseason action resulted in a projected three-win season for the Buffaloes in 2023. Sure, three wins is a marked improvement from one. But with all offseason acquisitions, with all discussions of Sanders’ success at JSU, one could reasonably expect a higher ceiling than this. Further, an underlying assumption some perceive is that FCS programs — and HBCUs in particular — are inherently inferior in skill level, and Sanders’ switch to superior programs with superior coaches would sharply dull the sparkle that shone so brightly at JSU.
Another layer to the skepticism surrounding Coach Prime’s debut at Colorado is the mold that college coaches have created for themselves through the years. The players are the focus, and the coaches are merely there to do their jobs. With the exception of a brutal scandal or intermittent feuding across programs, the spotlight typically shines on the starting quarterback, if not the running back, wide receiver, or the occasional defensive stud. This idea is often even more rigid for Black head coaches, who are historically not offered opportunities to hold positions of power and feel as though, because of their race, they have to reach an even higher standard. Sanders guts that construct entirely, sticking with his flashy roots, talking some smack, and being unapologetically himself.
This makes Sanders’ postgame press conference following Colorado’s upset over TCU all the more satisfying. Sanders explained that he read the aforementioned reporter’s comments on Colorado’s low odds of success for the season, calling it “bull junk.”
The reporter then asked, “Can I ask my question?”
“Do you believe?” Sanders repeated.
“Believe what?”
“You don’t believe. Next question.”
Call it arrogance; call it egotistic. Hell, call Neon Deion an asshole. But it is impossible to deny his confidence in his players and the program’s future.
After a fiery 3-0 start, including a tense double-overtime game against Colorado State, Sanders and the Buffaloes faced their most formidable opponent yet: the Oregon Ducks. Ranked 10th, Oregon had established itself as a perennial PAC-12 powerhouse over the past decade. Dan Lanning, Oregon’s head coach, despite being outspoken like his opponent, differs significantly from Sanders. He rose through the ranks of college football coaching conventionally: he started as a graduate assistant, then eventually landed higher roles in national powerhouses such as the University of Georgia. As the defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs, Lanning won the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2021. Now, in their pregame huddle, Lanning inspired his players with words oozing contempt for Colorado’s hype train.
“Rooted in substance, not flash.”
“They’re fighting for clicks, we’re fighting for wins.”
“This game ain’t gonna be played in Hollywood, it’s gonna be played on the grass.”
With every successive phrase, the Ducks didn’t just look more ready to play — they looked more than ready to eat the Buffaloes alive. Oregon went on to defeat Colorado 42-6, holding the Buffaloes to just 199 yards of offense. The matchup drew in 10.03 million viewers, the most of any game this season, meaning millions across America saw the Cinderella story end right before their eyes. The momentum and the subsequent hype steeply curtailed after that, and at the time of this writing, Colorado stands at an even 4-4 going into the home stretch of the season.
Even if the college football season ended today, Colorado has already exceeded numerous expectations; they are above three wins, after all. But their triumphant victory over TCU gave Sanders the confidence to boast his players, and to force people to pay attention to a once-middling program. But what should we pay attention to? Should we strictly look at on-field performance, their .500 record, and inconsistent play? Should we direct our gaze to the off-the-field action, the historic scene of the transfer portal, or how Sanders composes himself around reporters?
Or, at the end of the day, does it really matter?
Coach Prime represents an interesting case study in the coaching profession, not just because of his unconventional approach to the position but also because of who he was before taking the reins at JSU and CU. Sanders is a star, an idol to millions in sports and entertainment contexts. Only a few professional athletes can boast Hall of Fame status and an appearance as a host of Saturday Night Live. But with the numerous ways former players can retain recognition after hanging up their cleats, Sanders may not be the last of his kind. Travis and Jason Kelce produce a successful podcast; Eli and Peyton Manning help run a Monday Night Football program on ESPN2; and Pat McAfee, once known for recovering his onside kick as a placekicker for the Indianapolis Colts, now hosts a highly successful talk show licensed through ESPN networks. Everyone has the opportunity to operate a platform of their own design: many opt for social media or YouTube commentary, and others get lucky enough to be picked up by major television networks.
Sanders took an alternative route, launching himself into head coaching duties and righting the ship of two athletic programs within five years. Establishing himself as a reputable coach at the highest level of college athletics may pave the way for others to follow in his stead, which could result in fascinating impacts on how college sports are marketed, viewed, and perceived. Only time will tell what Sanders’ total impact on college football will be.