BOULDER — Don’t let the shades and flash fool you — Deion Sanders‘ Colorado’s out here handling business on and off the field. In a record-smashing spring, CU’s 342 student-athletes just posted a 3.264 GPA, the highest in school history. That boost pushed the Buffs’ all-time cumulative GPA to a new high of 3.294. Translation? They aren’t just running plays — they’re running classrooms too.

And three squads said, ‘Watch this’. The women’s ski team dropped a historic 3.825 GPA — the first 3.8 ever at CU. Tennis (3.761) and lacrosse (3.733) weren’t far behind. That’s six all-time team GPAs above 3.7 now, doubling CU’s record since 1996. But wait — there’s more heat…

On May 30, Big 12 boss Brett Yormark announced a conference payout of $558 million, with Colorado’s slice clocking in at a clean $34.8 million. Even the football squad came correct — posting a 2.957, their best spring GPA ever, and just a step behind that 3.011 from last fall. Still sitting pretty above a 3.0 overall. Prime Time’s pockets just got heavier, right as his players stack GPAs like trophies.

Rick George, the man in the big chair (AD), didn’t hold back: “I am very proud of our student athletes, coaches and Herbst academic staff led by  for this great accomplishment, George said. “We have created a great culture around our academic program and we are seeing the results of that effort year after year.” The numbers? Outstanding. 9 out of 15 programs just clocked either their best-ever fall or spring GPAs in 2024–25. Four squads—football, lacrosse, tennis, and men’s track & field—said “why not both?” and smashed records in both semesters.

And let’s talk about the women. Every single women’s team at CU? Over a 3.3 GPA. First time ever. Twelve teams in total crushed the 3.2 mark this spring, with nearly 70% of student-athletes rocking a 3.0 or better. Almost half were sittin’ over 3.5—and 39 Buffs just straight-up aced life with a perfect 4.0.“These are big-time results,” Kris Livingston said. “For the most part, the student-athletes are dialed-in and strive for excellence in their sport, the classroom, and in the community. The staff in the Herbst Academic Center and the coaches partner to provide expectations, support, and accountability ”

Deion Sanders said it loud and clear more than once—“We can’t just win at football, we have to win at everything.” That’s history made! Look, Coach Prime didn’t just roll into Boulder to win games. Nah, he came in swinging for those grades too. Deion Sanders has been all up in that academic game, making sure his boys aren’t just balling on the field but stacking A’s and B’s in the classroom.

Coach Prime? He checks receipts. He’s got coaches sitting down every couple weeks, running the numbers, calling out who’s slipping, and pulling dudes up before they drown in F’s. One time, a professor shot him an email—mad salty about players acting up in class. What did Prime do? He didn’t sweep it under the rug. Man read that letter to the whole team, straight-up roasted them with the truth that only a handful of athletes will make it to the league.

He’s not just pushing for degrees either. Prime’s like, ‘why are we not teaching these kids about real life?’ Deion Sanders wants mandatory classes on financial literacy and how to talk to people without sounding bland. He’s all about making grown men out of athletes, not just stat machines. So yeah, Deion isn’t just building football players—he’s building future CEOs, husbands, fathers, maybe even professors. Wild, right? From Prime Time to grind time.

But while the grades speak for themselves, don’t think for a second Deion Sanders forgot about the noise off the field.

Deion Sanders claps back at critics who throw the “sellout” label

You call Prime a “sellout”? Better come with facts—because Deion doesn’t flinch when the heat hits. He claps back with charm, charisma, and cold-hard stats. Folks tried to paint him like he bailed on Jackson State for the bag, but Prime flipped the narrative on its head. “They keep saying I sold out,” he wrote on Instagram. “But they keep saying it’s because of my sneakers!” Cue the drop—Nike collab sold out in minutes.

Truth is, Deion didn’t dip—he scaled. And Colorado? They leveled up with him. His media machine turned Boulder into the main stage. From $87 million in media value in 2022 to a jaw-dropping $343 million in 2023, Prime’s presence is printing money like it’s game day. Online sales? Up 2,500%. Social media? Skyrocketed. CU went from barely blinking on the radar to running the algorithm.

And while the haters were busy tweeting, Prime was boosting Colorado’s economy to the tune of $113 million from last year’s games alone. Enrollment’s surging. Tourism’s booming. The Buffs aren’t just relevant—they’re electric.

One ESPN voice said, “He sold a dream and then abandoned it.” Nah, he expanded it. Deion didn’t trade in his values—he brought them to a bigger stage. From HBCU pride to Power 5 takeover, Sanders is rewriting the manual on what college football coaches can be. Hate it or love it, he’s already won.