Paul Finebaum Expresses Concern Over Deion Sanders’ Health After Latest Colorado Setback

Presently, Folsom Field has a cold, clammy feeling spread across Boulder. After a biting loss to Georgia Tech on August 30, the mood at Boulder lit up over a celebratory win against Delaware on September 6. But it took less than seven days for the somberness to set in after an upsetting loss to Houston over the weekend, making the Buffs enter the national chat. Once, it was Deion Sanders’ fiery prowess, but now, it’s the lack of it. Prime Time is facing the heat, and Paul Finebaum is concerned about his health.

“We want to win, we want to win at all costs,” a determined Deion Sanders had taken to the podium, striving for Buff’s only goal. College football was buzzing with anticipation on Sander’s return to Boulder. The Buffs were supposed to make an explosive season, with Prime Time making the playcall on the sidelines. But Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter leaped to the pro league to start their NFL careers, and now, the offense is on the shoulders of the three quarterbacks, trying to scramble up the yardage.

“It’s certainly in the short term pretty bleak,” Paul Finebaum started on Buff’s future on the Matt Barrie Show. “I mean… it was sad to watch that the other night.” The Houston loss hit hard. Boulder saw a biting fall through the week 3 performance ladder. The program has slid to the No. 12th rank in the Big 12, after a 1-2 record by week 3. Even Houston’s head coach Willie Fritz admitted that his roster didn’t play great, and there is loads to improve.

Finebaum continued. “I mean, I think, you know, what Deion has overcome.” Prime Time was dealing with a health crisis over the last couple of months, as blood clots and toe amputations took their toll while bladder cancer nearly shattered his faith as the NFL legend leaned down on his sheer willpower to surge through and bounce back. It was indeed a challenging phase. His eyes were focused on winning it all this season. Apparently, there have been enough hiccups to be sure of a reboost, but not enough matchups to call his season a blunder yet.

“I think everybody in the country pulls for that,” Finebaum went on. “They’re not going to be a factor the rest of the season. And I just don’t know how Deion, battling everything else he is battling, will be able to battle that because he’s so used to the spotlight. And there’s never been anybody better with the bright lights on.” Finebaum further elaborated. Sanders’s larger-than-life persona earned him the title of Prime Time since his collegiate career. The football persona made his own brand, hopping onto and dominating the pop-culture scenes of the ’90s. He was constantly under the spotlight.

Finebaum continued. “But when you lose a couple of games like this and you’re treading water, you’re not going to garner a lot of attention the rest of the way.” A 1-2 start early in the season has Colorado seething in frustration. Prime Time is known for building the program from scratch, hauling in talent from the transfer portal, to have a robust roster, in a quick fashion, but the program’s prowess appears to have fizzled out, and it has built up some tension as a result.

Deion Sander’s week 3 loss stirs up tension

Deion Sanders is credited with the rebuilding of Jackson State, but his 2025 Colorado stint has raised an alarm at Boulder. Following a poor 20-36 loss to Houston, Sanders was dumbfounded, as he put it. Friday saw the Buffs faithful witness quarterback Ryan Staub’s behind-the-center play, but he struggled to gain yards. “Nobody could have told me that was gonna go down like that,” the head coach said post-game. With two interceptions, leading to two turnovers, the Buffs also registered six penalties for 45 yards.

Prime Time was disappointed in his performance. “Staub didn’t play well. I saw what you saw. That wasn’t his best, to say the least,” he said. The 5’11.5, 189-pound quarterback completed 19 of 35 passes for 204 yards. In addition to that, he threw his lone touchdown pass with barely 4:34 left on the clock. A 37-yarder to wide receiver Joseph Williams. Not to forget that he was sacked three times over the 60 minutes. What about the future? Will he be sticking to Staub for future games? Or give the reins to Kaidon Salter and freshman Julian Lewis. Although in the lone victory over Delaware, all three QBs played the snaps. “I have no idea,” he put it bluntly.

Aside from the offensive hiccups, the defense saw significant loopholes. They gave up 209 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. Defensive back Preston Hodge admitted that, “We just had trouble stopping the run,” he said post-game. Prime Time had a pretty clear idea of his defense in mere 15 minutes. “Hot garbage,” he described his defense, which gave Houston a 10-0 lead. But that doesn’t mean they were unsuccessful in breaking Houston’s offense. They limited the Cougars to field goals of 52, 43, 47, and 49 yards.