Deion Sanders enforces new policy on alumni interactions, says former Colorado player

Deion Sanders enforces new policy on alumni interactions, says former Colorado player

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Deion Sanders enforces new policy on alumni interactions, says former Colorado player

Deion Sanders enforces new policy on alumni interactions, says former Colorado player originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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When the announcement was made that the former Jackson State head football Coach Deion Sanders was going to be taking his talents to the Colorado Buffaloes in December 2022, everyone bought into the allure of the "Prime Effect." Now three and a half years later, the program has yet to win a conference championship. At 16-21, Coach Prime continues to usher in new coaches and turnover rosters at the end of each season.

Sanders had the Buffs believing he had the Midas touch, only to watch talent choose to play elsewhere instead of developing and needing to fill gaps when injuries occur, keeping the team competing. The transfer portal hasn’t been as beneficial as many expected because there are more programs recruiting the top talent to play for their programs.

The Buffs' projected 27 million deficit for the 2026 fiscal year has raised a lot of questions, with nothing to show for almost doubling Sanders' initial salary to $10 million annually, and the $20.5 million for student-athlete revenue sharing to recruit them. Also, the operating expenses that football costs CU athletics, with traveling, lodging, and feeding the players and the band, can become a bit expensive. Take into account that the ticket revenue from 2023 to 2025 has declined by about 23 percent, despite the team having a winning 2024 season.

The Buffs' 3-9 record last year has analysts thinking this will be a four-win season. Losing former five-star Jordan Seaton to the LSU Tigers and the lack of recruiting by Coach Prime and his coaching staff have them ranked 15th out of 16 in the Big 12, according to 247Sports. To make matters worse, players in the state of Colorado are choosing to pursue continuing their collegiate football career at universities outside the Centennial State.

But why? One of the biggest reasons is Sanders' wants to pull from the transfer portal and not high school. However, Coach Prime has also allegedly cut ties with former CU player Matt McChesney, who runs the biggest football training facility in Colorado and is tapped into some of the biggest recruiting pipelines.

"Coach Prime told his coaches not to talk to me and not to come to the gym, "McChesney said on a recent Zero 2 Sixty podcast. He went on to say how players were instructed to quit training with him as well. "It's too bad. I think it's kind of childish," McChesney added.

This came with a stark warning for Colorado and the future of the program.

"I wish they were down there recruiting all these freak players," McChesney said about Sanders' coaching staff. "Nebraska's there tomorrow morning. I really wish we were standing next to them."

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If the Buffs football program doesn’t find a way to win this season, with the opportunity to play for the Big 12 conference championship or a bowl game, tough decisions will have to be made. Something the previous AD Rick George refused to do was eliminate sports programs entirely.

New CU athletic director Fernando Lovo could be tasked with making that decision, because increasing the students' athletic fee from $28.50 to $90 per semester for undergraduates will have them outraged. They are paying almost three times more to watch a subpar team on the field.

Also, Sanders is one of the highest-paid in the nation. Winning is going to be the only thing left that matters. I guess it can be said that looking good and paying good doesn’t equate to a winning season. We’re a bit over 100 days away from the Buffs fans finding out when they kick off the season against Georgia Tech in Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. 

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