Congratulations Pour in as Deion Sanders’ Mother Reacts to 397LB Colorado Coach’s Weight Loss Journey

For the past few months, Colorado Buffaloes fans have had sleepless nights. After all, their favorite Deion Sanders went missing from practices, adding to the mystery. Finally, Deion revealed that he was battling bladder cancer. In this process, the Colorado Buffaloes head coach lost 25 pounds. However, Coach Prime is filled with gratitude, “I’m thankful. It’s been a tremendous journey; it’s been tough. I think I dropped 25 pounds. I was like Atlanta Falcon Prime at one point.” Looks like someone from his coaching roster joined him in his weight loss journey. That’s none other than George Hegamin. 

Hegamin joined the Colorado squad in 2024 as the Director of Leadership and Engagement. But this spring, Deion gave him a raise, and Hegamin got promoted as an assistant offensive line coach with Andre Gurode, under offensive line coach Gunnar White. Now, the coach is turning heads with his personal achievement, turning Deion’s mother, Connie Knight, into a fan while congratulatory messages pour in. 

On September 2, Hegamin posted a picture on Instagram of a weighing scale that read 397.6 lbs. It was followed up by a long caption, “That number might not mean much to most, but to me… it means EVERYTHING. I haven’t seen a “3” in front of my total weight since 2003. That’s over two decades of fighting, falling, getting back up, and pushing forward.” Turns out that he had a tough time losing weight. The fact that he did not give up in the process is what sets him apart from others. 

While likes poured in for the post, one of them stood out. It was Deion’s mother. To her, Hegamin’s story is a bit similar to that of her own son. The 52-year-old Hegamin was previously a Freshman All-American at NC State, a third-round NFL Draft pick. When it comes to his honors as a player, Hegamin holds a Super Bowl ring with the Dallas Cowboys. While he never reached the heights of Deion, Hegamin’s NFL story is still one of success.

Later on, Hegamin reached new heights. He had been an Executive Director of Truth Athletics for five years and also worked at IMG Academy in Florida prior to his Colorado stint. Now, while serving in Deion’s squad, Hegamin also wants to focus on making himself healthier. And now that he has seen his consistency paying off, the coach wants his fans to take up this challenge. On Instagram, he wrote, “The road ahead is long, but I’m locked in, and I promise you; I’m not stopping here. Let’s see just how far we can KEEP PUSHING!!! 👊🏿” And the fans are already hyping him up. 

Fans rally behind George Hegamin’s 100 days of grind

Going by Hegamin’s IG posts, on July 21, he had taken up a 100 Day challenge and posted about his day 1 schedule, where he focused only on realigning his mind, body, and spirit. His weight loss being a long journey, a fan showed some support and wrote, “Embrace the Grind! Love it.” To boost his realignment process, Hegamin chose to spend time in the mountains.

What made the fans so invested in Hegamin’s weight loss journey? Well, the Colorado coach kept updating them about his little interesting adventures. A fan thus applauded his consistency, “Small thing to a Giant who is consistently in the Word and Executing Daily!!! Salute 🫡!!!” On July 27, Hegamin posted on Instagram about his five-mile trek, highlighting the importance of not rushing but taking one step at a time towards their goal.

Hegamin served last year as the team’s director of leadership and engagement at a salary of $100,000. On being promoted, Deion offered him a salary of $250,000. With big checks come big responsibilities. A fan thus left some kind words, “Congratulations! You’ve been doing amazing work within and with others! You’re so dope!” Having experience in coaching high school football players will help Hegamin to connect with the young players in the Buffs squad.

And it’s not only about Hegamin’s weight loss journey. He ensures to push others to get out of their comfort zone by giving updates on his milestones on Instagram. An impressed fan thus commented, “Great job! I have really enjoyed watching your journey on social media! It keeps me inspired and love the way you give all the glory to God! Keep on keeping on!” While Hegamin inspires others, Deion himself has influenced him to push further after the head coach joined Hegamin in walking after undergoing surgery.

The Buffs players were inspired by the head coach as well. For instance, Colorado quarterback Ryan Staub dropped a message for George Hegamin, “Lets goo coach👊🏼.” Being an offensive line coach, Staub might have closely watched the coach’s journey to be a fitter version. If Hegamin’s grind is nonstop, picture the wall he’s building for Colorado’s offense.