Deion Sanders on Hot Seat in ‘Narrative-Defining Season’
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders enters a clear make-or-break season for a tenure largely marked by hype, achievements and big stories.
That said, CBS Sports’ Richard Johnson calls this season a “narrative-defining season” for Sanders, the famed coach known as “Coach Prime.” Sanders has a 16-21 record with the Buffaloes and an 0-1 record in bowl games — the kind of numbers that would put almost any college football coach in danger of losing his job.
“Sanders beat bladder cancer last year, but that was not the first health concern of his coaching career. He had multiple toes amputated while at Jackson State,” Johnson wrote. “That, combined with Colorado’s poor play, has made Sanders’ status constant fodder for conversations among industry sources. Many were convinced 2025 would be his last, but Sanders has made a habit throughout his life of zigging when people expect him to zag.:
“But the rumors won’t go away if CU struggles this season, and it may force new athletic director Fernando Lovo to make a significant decision at season’s end if Sanders misses a bowl for the third time in four years,” Johnson continued. “Much of the shine has worn off the Buffs’ experience, and that’s what happens when you don’t win to back up the hype.”
“Colorado has been many things since Sanders arrived. They need to find a way to be good at football,” Johnson concluded.
The Buffaloes will get that chance to kick things off that way in Atlanta on Thursday against Georgia Tech.
Deion Sanders Knows It’s Time
Sanders expressed at Big 12 media days that his program is in win-now mode. The Buffaloes went 3-9 last season, and this year’s team will turn to redshirt freshman Julian Lewis as the full-time starter.
“We better win,” Sanders told reporters. “We’re going to win. I love what I got. I love what I see.”
Sanders talked up his team’s additions through the transfer portal and the new coordinators. That said, the Buffaloes get to show if that will make a difference against a tough ACC opponent right off the bat.
Sanders came to Colorado in 2023 after a successful stint at FCS program Jackson State. He took over a Buffaloes program that hadn’t enjoyed a winning season since 2016, but only one winning season in his first four might not be enough to keep his job beyond 2026.
Deion Sanders: ‘Georgia Tech is Not a Layup’
Georgia Tech has a new quarterback in Alberto Mendoza, as Haynes King went on to the NFL. That won’t make the Yellow Jackets more vulnerable, as Sanders expects a tall task in the rematch between these two teams from a year ago.
“Georgia Tech is not a layup by any means, and we are not a layup to them by any means,” Sanders told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s going to be a tremendous task. Like I said, I got the utmost respect for coach Key and that staff that he’s assembled, and I’m sure he feels the same.”
“It was a tremendous battle last season that they had a quarterback that refused to lose, and I love that,” Sanders added. “I love that. I want to flip it over. I really do.”
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