Deion Sanders is trying to get his Colorado back in the game after a disappointing season. This fall, he’s taking a different approach to prepare his team. Although his plans of holding a joint practice with Air Force got watered down, he made sure his team could at least meet the Falcons and experience that culture of discipline up close.

“This is my first time really coming to spend time in Colorado Springs,” Coach Prime said on Darius Sanders’s podcast on August 7. “And when I tell you it is beautiful here. And when we pulled up here, I was like, “You got to be kidding me.” This is unbelievable. So, please do not take any of this for granted. And we’re practicing right now at a great facility, but we wish to God we were on grass right now. Right fellas?”

“We wish you were on grass right now. But please, man, maximize your moments. This thing ends quickly, expeditiously, and you never understand what you’re living in right now—the time, the day, and the air you’re living in. Please enjoy it, but exhaust it. Exhaust it. Be empty when you leave here every darn day.”

The two teams essentially crossed paths during a window on Saturday morning. The Buffs arrived early in the morning and utilized the facilities at the Air Force Academy to conduct their separate team practice. 

Just as Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes were concluding their session and leaving the field, the Air Force Falcons football team was arriving to start their own scheduled practice. While rigid NCAA rules restricted their physical on-field contact, the two programs maximized their crossover window through deep conversations, shared stories, and military demonstrations. 

The military did not hold back and even displayed their best moves in the air. A military F-16 fighter jet flown by former Falcon fullback Nate Walker conducted several low, roaring flybys directly over the practice fields. 

The newly appointed Academy Superintendent, Lt. Gen. Paul D. Moga, also greeted Coach Prime with something special. When the interaction between the two teams concluded, he gave Coach Prime a custom flight helmet. This was the closest any two programs could get to interacting during active training.

“I can’t wait till our young men hear about your day,” Sanders said while praising the cadets for serving the country. “I want them to understand your day is not just about football. It’s about a lot more than that. But I want them to hear about how you guys go through life, how you go through the week, and how you go through the year, but what you put into what you give in protecting our country as well. So, we appreciate you.”

As fun as it was for Coach Prime to experience this, a cultural shock hit the athletes after learning about the grueling schedules of the cadets. The Buffs learned about what the Falcons endured even before the season kicked off. Cadets described going out into the woods for a mandatory five-day survival training course. 

The most shocking revelation for them was their meal plans. During this course, they were given only 3 meals over 5 days. Cadets even dropped significant weight right before fall camp started. The Falcons literally walk out of the woods from survival training and immediately strap on pads to begin football practices.