On Tuesday, at Colorado’s Pro Day, Coach Prime had more than his whistle and stopwatch in his hands. Sporting a black hat and a CU hoodie, Deion Sanders sat on a stability ball with a fishing rod in his hands. There was no pond and no lake, just grass. Was Deion Sanders trying to catch fish in the grass? As baffling as the act may have seemed, it was a part of the promise Coach Prime had with one of his longtime NFL-bound CU players.

“I have a PRIME fishing rod at Pro day today because 1 of my players who’s been with me for 5 years wanted 1 but the deal was he had to run a certain time in the 40 & I was gonna give it to him on the spot,” Deion Sanders wrote on X. “My kids know I’m a earn it type of guy. Next time, just ask and don’t assume, please. Love ya regardless because God loves me that same way.”

The player, CU linebacker Jeremiah Brown, clocked 4.85 seconds in the forty-yard dash. Visibly, he fell short of Coach Prime’s expectations, but Deion Sanders is now giving Jeremiah the fishing rod anyway. “I still love ya, and you’re still getting the fishing rods. We family man,” wrote Coach Prime on his IG story.

Sanders has a branding deal with the fishing gear manufacturer Abu Garcia and effortlessly incorporates the entrepreneurial venture into his fishing hobby. Through the act, he was probably trying to motivate Brown to perform and bolster his NFL draft stock. It was merited since Coach Prime has coached Jeremiah since 2021 at Jackson State, and he himself had recruited the 6’2″ and 235 lb. linebacker.

“Honestly, my parents kind of grew it on me. They were like, ‘Man, that’s Coach Prime, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,'” Brown said after committing to Jackson State in 2021. “They just talked about the rich history that HBCUs had that I didn’t know about. I didn’t know guys like Walter Payton played [at HBCUs]. To bring that spark and life back to HBCUs, I felt like I was a part of something.”

In December 2022, when Deion Sanders switched camps to Colorado, Jeremiah followed him from Jackson State. Coming off a 30-tackle and 5-sack season at Jackson State, Brown could notch just 11 tackles in 2023 and 10 in 2024. He briefly considered leaving Colorado, but Coach Prime’s love brought him back.

In December 2024, Brown briefly entered the portal, and Sanders quickly responded with a heartfelt public message expressing love and support. It didn’t take much time for Brown to come back and ditch the portal. Magically, the 2025 season became Brown’s best. He notched 69 tackles and 2 sacks and established himself as a late-round NFL draft pick.

“It’s been a long one… We’ve been together for five years. I’m grateful for every moment. Just all the wisdom I’ve learned from him, just everything he’s taught us,” Jeremiah said about Coach Prime in his farewell message.

Apart from that, Brown had a 30-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot and 7-inch broad jump. But now that he has failed Deion Sanders’ challenge, NFL teams must decide whether to take a chance on Brown.

This isn’t the first time Deion Sanders has had a challenge going at CU’s Pro Day

This year’s pro day at Colorado isn’t as illustrious as last year’s. The NFL Network live broadcast last year’s games, featuring stars like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Moreover, all 32 NFL teams traveled to Boulder as opposed to 26 teams this year. But last year’s Pro Day was also special because of Deion Sanders’ challenge to his son. Coach Prime promised Shilo to buy him a new car. All he had to do was run the 40 in 4.4 seconds.

Shilo tried hard but managed to run it in only 4.52 seconds. This time, though, Coach Prime wasn’t generous; he bluntly told him he isn’t buying the car now because he didn’t earn it. As for Shilo, he probably missed his brother, Shedeur, who didn’t participate in the Pro Day. “If you were here, bro, I would’ve run a 4.4. You should’ve stood next to me, bro. If you had stood next to me, I would’ve run a 4.4,” Shilo said to Shedeur.

Unlike Shilo, though, who of course gets regular gifts from his father, Jeremiah doesn’t. And that’s probably why Coach Prime shows generosity to his long-time pupil. “PRECIATE YA COACH!!” Brown replied to Sanders. As for his NFL draft stock, Brown has left everything to god and will accept “whatever he chooses for” him in his career. Because he knows that he has given his all and also has a backup “real estate” thing going on, too.