Deion Sanders has built his coaching career around doing things his own way, but that approach is starting to draw sharper criticism as Colorado continues to lose. After the Buffaloes fell to Arizona State on Saturday, former ESPN host Jason Whitlock took aim at Sanders and suggested college football is no longer willing to tolerate his methods. Whitlock believes Sanders’ reliance on famous players rather than the traditional grind of recruiting has rubbed people the wrong way.
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With Colorado sitting at 3-6, he thinks the results are making the criticism harder to dismiss.
When asked if he was coaching for his job, Sanders brushed off the question. Whitlock saw the response as another example of what he believes is the problem: Sanders does not operate like a coach who feels accountable to anyone. The criticism is nothing new from Whitlock, who labeled Colorado a “clown show” back in 2023.
“Deion got his chain snatched,” Whitlock said, according to an X post that shared a clip from the Fearless with Jason Whitlock podcast. “How many guys around the country are offended by Deion’s approach to recruiting? How many of these guys that are involved in seven-on-seven football, how many high school football coaches, how many of the handlers of these kids are offended?”
“And I’m talking about black coaches, black handlers, black seven-on-seven coaches. I’m like, oh, Deion doesn’t have to show us any respect. He just thinks because he’s Deion, he can take any player from us that we want. He doesn’t give us the same respect that all the other coaches do. Deion’s not liked across the board. His celebrity stands in the way. This is a bad formula: hiring all-time great coaches.”
Whitlock’s claim is that the people who control access to top high school players, the prep coaches, seven-on-seven coaches, and handlers, feel Sanders skips the courtesy other head coaches show. He singled out Black coaches and handlers, saying they expected more from Sanders.
The stakes are real, though. Colorado’s 2024 run came with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, and the program has had to rebuild without them. If the gatekeepers are cool on Sanders, that’s a problem for a roster built through the portal and recruiting.
The hot seat is as much about money as wins. Sanders is 19-27 in four seasons and 6-15 since the 9-4 year in 2024. His five-year, $54 million extension runs through 2029. According to Sporting News, Colorado would owe Sanders 75% of his remaining salary if it fired him without cause. The estimated buyout stands at $25.5 million in 2026 and drops to $17.25 million in 2027. The athletic department also projected a $27 million deficit. New athletic director Fernando Lovo has to weigh all of that.
“I’m not here for my job,” Sanders said. “I’m here for these young men. I’m not built like that… I ain’t worried about me. I’m good, my brother.”
Saturday’s game gave him little to work with. Colorado trailed 17-0 at the half with 103 yards and didn’t pick up a first down until midway through the second quarter.
Isaac Wilson was sacked four times, and a 74-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Campbell came back on an illegal man downfield flag. The Buffs managed just 52 rushing yards against Arizona State and lost their ninth straight Big 12 road game. “The season doesn’t look good,” Sanders said afterward.
Bowl eligibility is now a three-game ask. Colorado hosts No. 17 Houston on Friday, then goes to Cincinnati and closes against UCF. If the Buffaloes lose again, their bowl eligibility hopes are over. While Sanders says he isn’t thinking about his job, Whitlock believes that the problem is the former Cowboys player, as the next three games will show who is right.