So here we are. Year 3 of the Coach Prime show in Boulder. And for the first time ever, it’s missing the two stars that made it personal. Shedeur and Shilo Sanders. And if you think this is a seismic shift, you don’t know Deion Sanders. His QB son has been the field general since Jackson State, and the safety son was a tone-setter on defense. And Deion had been the dad and head coach through it all. But now, Colorado’s sideline looks different and maybe a little less like a family barbecue and more like a straight-up football business. So, how’s he handling this shift?

Deion Sanders is back in the spotlight, dapper as ever at the Big 12 Media Days in Dallas, after a three-month hiatus due to undisclosed health concerns. During his sit-down with Matt Barrie, Greg McElroy, and Brock Osweiler presented by ESPN College Football on July 9, he came clean on what he sees in coaching without his sons. “I’m going to love it,” he said. “Sometimes I’m going to sit down and think about it, but now I only have to be a coach. I don’t have to be the coach and the dad.” That might sound light, but it’s a whole philosophical shift. 

Now that his sons’ futures are set at Cleveland and Tampa, Deion Sanders can focus solely on Colorado football in general. No more watching the defense while sneaking glances at your son taking hits in the pocket. No more balancing game plans with fatherhood. “Now I could just pour into everything I got, into all these young men,” he added. “Don’t think for one minute that several of them don’t think they’re my sons. Like some of them really do feel like I birthed them, like they’re my kids, and I love it. But it’s going to be easier.” And he still has weapons to continue what he’s building in Boulder. 

Colorado’s 2025 roster looks like it was built in a blender in a good way. WR Drelon Miller is still a burner on the outside to ensure continuity with either Kaidon Salter or Julian Lewis at QB. On defense, there’s Jaheim Oatis, a mountain of a transfer from Alabama, and a scheme tightened by new defensive coordinator Robert Livingstone. CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah even said, “For the first time under Deion Sanders, Colorado is going to be a normal football team.” This time, Deion Sanders is leading a team that’s not built around his own kids, but built to win. Still, some questions do linger…

Deion Sanders receives doubts about his Colorado future

Deion Sanders’ candid admission came a few days after strong criticism came his way. Deshaun Watson‘s coach, Quincy Avery, stirred the pot on The Maggie and Perloff Show when he raised the million-dollar question. “Was he doing this the whole time to prop his son up and help him become this top-tier quarterback, which he did, or does he want to do this because he really cares about the kids?” he questioned. “He’s never coached a team in which his son did not play for. This is brand new to him; So we get to see who he is as a person when he has to take on this team without his sons involved.”

Now, it’s a fair observation. Deion Sanders has never coached a team without at least one son in pads. This is uncharted territory, and Avery’s right, it’s time to find out if Coach Prime is here for legacy or loyalty. But don’t expect him to fade. He has the fire in him, and his goal is, “We want to win. We want to win at all costs.” The Buffs went 9-4 last year but flamed out with a thud against BYU in the Alamo Bowl. Now they’re opening 2025 against Georgia Tech on August 29 with a chance to prove they’ve evolved from spectacle to substance.

Still, this season will either validate Deion Sanders as a true program builder or confirm every doubt whispered in the shadows.