Colorado expects Deion Sanders to officially join the program as the next head football coach Saturday night after the 2022 SWAC championship game, sources close to the hiring process told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd. An impending decision from Sanders has been expected for weeks given multiple FBS offers, but “Coach Prime” has opted to only announce his intentions after Jackson State takes on Southern for the SWAC title.
Sanders has spent the last three seasons coaching Jackson State, going 26-5 overall this season and 11-0 this season. The Tigers were averaging a 21-40 record in the six seasons prior to his arrival. Sanders led JSU to a 4-3 record in the 2020 season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the same number of wins as 2019 (4-8). Jackson State is 22-2 for the past two seasons with a perfect 16-0 record in SWAC play.
During his time at JSU, Sanders recruited some of the best talent in the country — including No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2022 cornerback Travis Hunter — and revitalized the program. Some talents that could follow him to Colorado; According to multiple reports, Sanders was already recruiting high school prospects and transfer portal applicants before officially taking the job with the Buffaloes.
CBS News Colorado reported Friday that Colorado offered Sanders a contract with a starting salary of “more than $5 million” with incentives that could result in an annual salary increase of “about 40%” if met.
The Buffaloes fired coach Karl Dorrell in October after starting 5-0. Dorrell took over the program in 2020 after Mel Tucker unexpectedly left for Michigan State. Dorrell’s tenure started well enough, with Colorado winning 4-2 in an abbreviated season but losing 13 of the next 17 games under his leadership.
Interesting decision by Sanders
While it’s not known if Cincinnati or South Florida officially offered Sanders — let alone the value of those potential deals — Colorado appears, on the surface at least, to be the oddest combination of Sanders’ three most prominent options. Coach Prime is based out of Fort Myers, Fla., about a two-hour drive south of Tampa, where USF is located. He played college football in the state of Florida and is a household name not only in the Sunshine State but throughout Georgia, having played for the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves. He also spent four seasons with the Cincinnati Reds during his MLB career and is also familiar with that city.
But Sanders has no prior connection to Colorado or the Pac-12. Of course he is “Deion Sanders”. It’s not like the people of Colorado haven’t heard of him. However, when the three gigs were handicapped as “best suited” for Sanders, Colorado seemed the least likely.
It’s clear that Sanders thinks differently. Perhaps the appeal of coaching an established Power Five program played a role in his decision. Cincinnati will join the Big 12 in 2023, and while that’s a great move on the surface, it also offers the program an unknown future in a new league. This is likely one reason Luke Fickell left for Wisconsin despite leading the Bearcats to the 2021 college football playoffs.
Sanders could also see an opportunity with the Buffaloes in a redesigned Pac-12. When USC and UCLA join the Big Ten in 2024, it will leave a huge power vacuum at the top of the league. Perhaps Sanders believes his ability to attract talent to Boulder, coupled with his coaching skills, can establish Colorado as the dominant program out west.
Colorado needs Sanders’ help
When Sanders took over at Jackson State, he found himself at the forefront of a program that had produced some great players but not met with much success. Jackson State had not won the SWAC since 2007, which was then its first conference title since 1996. Sanders won the league in his second season and did it again in his third.
Colorado hasn’t won a conference title since the 2001 season when it was a member of the Big 12. It has only appeared in two bowl games in the past 15 years, and one of those appearances came in 2020. Since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, the Buffaloes have won 48-94 overall, 27-76 in conference play.
If ever there was a Power Five program that needed a surge of electricity to bring it back to life, it’s Colorado. The program has also achieved mediocre results in terms of recruitment; Since 2008, no recruiting class has ranked in the top 30 and has regularly found itself outside the top 50.
Sanders’ ability to attract talent was a major factor in Colorado’s interest.