When it comes to cheering his boys up, Deion Sanders never runs short of ideas. We have seen that last season, Coach Prime appointed the Navy SEALs to train his boys in Boulder. To make things lighter, Deion invited rapper Lil Wayne, who has become a welcomed friend of the program over the past few years. Back in April 2024, on Deion’s request, he had put on a post-game concert at the CU Events Center during the Black and Gold weekend. This time, too, Coach Prime did not disappoint in boosting his boys’ spirits. The Buffs are to face a daunting stretch of Big 12 play, and that’s when Deion welcomed legendary rapper, Ice Cube, to the practice. But this move turned one of the biggest Buffs’ supporters upset. 

This was not approved by Deion’s loyal buddy, Matt McChesney. Previously, the Buffs alum defended Coach Prime when Deion caught heat for allegedly mandating players to attend a Lil Wayne concert on campus. That’s when McChesney took a firm stand, “I don’t think this is true. I think it’s ridiculous, like I really doubt that Coach Prime would mandate that the entire team go see Lil Wayne, but why if you have Lil Wayne on campus, why wouldn’t you want to go see him?” But this time, his support runs low. ..

McChesney is starting with his impression that the team isn’t taking losses seriously. Despite poor performances, they don’t seem frustrated or motivated to improve. Three weeks into the season, Deion’s Colorado already has two losses in their bag. The ex-Buffs player thus shared on the Zero 2 Sixty podcast, “It doesn’t seem to me like they’re very down and out, bro. They’ve got Ice Cube to practice. That’s where you get congratulated with Ice Cube being at practice. Losing 36-20 on national TV, but hey, welcome Ice Cube to practice.”

To him, it’s not the right time for Deion to reward his squad with celebrity appearances. To McChesney, it’s just a hollow form of encouragement. He’s frustrated that in Deion’s camp, celebrity appearances are being treated as a substitute for accountability and hard work after a poor performance.

He clarified himself, “And look, I love IceCube. I love NWA. This is awesome. I’m glad that he’s at in Boulder, but honestly, I’m sorry, but who gives a s–t? So the team plays that bad, and their prize is not a really hard day of practice. Their prize is not gassers. Their prize isn’t pushing sleds. Their prize isn’t scrimmaging until we find somebody that wants to actually play a position and tackle someone. Their prize is more celebrities talking.”

Maybe what McChesney expected from Deion was to assemble the players in a classroom and play tapes on a giant screen, coming up with his signature vocal tonic. After all, we have seen Coach Prime do that whenever his boys have let him down in the past. Now, it looks like McChesney is not the only Buff loyalist Deion lost, given the current standings of the team.

Frustration looming high for Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes 

Shannon Sharpe has been a well-wisher for Deion and his squad for quite some time now. He is the one who got the right to show tough love towards the program. While Deion had high hopes for their face-off against the Houston Cougars, Sharpe expected a win. The result? They fell 36-20 against the Cougars. And it exposed the glaring issue in the Boulder camp. They are still figuring things out after Shedeur Sanders’ departure, even after getting a full offseason to find a solution. 

Expectations loomed high for the third-string quarterback, Ryan Staub, after his feat against Delaware. But he failed to carry his charm. Deion’s quarterback threw two fourth-quarter interceptions, one on the opening snap of the period, and the Buffs converted none of their key second-half chances. “The Buffaloes dropped to 1-2, marking the worst start to the season for coach Prime,” Sharpe exposed the cracks in Deion’s squad.

He further sprinkled some salt on Coach Prime’s fresh wounds with a blunt response, “They thought they had it.” Not just the Colorado loyalists, Deion’s own players are not feeling content with what they brought to the table. The Buffs player who dropped his bold take is none other than the Colorado tight end Zach Atkins.

On September 17, Buffs insider Scott Procter wrote on X, “Colorado TE Zach Atkins: ‘I’m not happy with how things are going right now … I’m a winner.’ ‘We need to turn it around.’” Opening conference action in Houston, the Buffaloes’ offense was merely adequate, while their defense looked like a sieve under relentless Cougar attacks. Turns out Matt McChesney isn’t alone. He’s not the only one who thinks Deion’s squad needs to tighten up, and that Ice Cube showing up might be more of a distraction than motivation.