Last September as Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes were preparing to face Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks, Lanning hyped his players ahead of the game. He said, “The Cinderella story is over man. They’re fighting for clicks, we’re fighting for wins.” This came amidst the initial success and fame after the Buffs won their first three games like a pro where they wasted no opportunity to flaunt their success on and off the field. 

Sadly though, the success didn’t follow them as the season progressed with critics pointing out that Colorado is all about playing for clicks. Even Cormani McClain, who recently left Coach Prime’s program said, “I feel like I just don’t want to play for clicks. I actually want to be involved with a great leading program that’s going to develop players.” And now, it looks like the tables are turning for Deion Sanders.

Does Colorado expect Deion Sanders to win games?

In a new episode on Cover 3 Podcast on YouTube uploaded on May 9, the hosts come together to discuss the successes and failures of college football HCs’ first seasons. Needless to say, Deion Sanders is a subject that can’t be missed because of how he blew up the Colorado college football scene after arriving from Jackson State in December 2022. According to Bud Elliott, “Deion Sanders took over a 1-11 team. He didn’t make a bowl game. His coaching failures on the field directly led to two losses because he had not had to coach in close games at Jackson State because they just had so much more talent than the league.” After Coach Prime failed to execute his bold promises and inspirational messages, Elliott also added, “I don’t think Colorado really expects him to win. I think that they expect him to bring a lot of attention and fanfare to the program.”

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As for Danny Kanell, he rated Coach Prime “B minus” because the main aspect to judge is the win-loss record of a program and Colorado just went 4-8 under Deion Sanders’ first season as the head coach. Also, his promise to superfan Peggy during the 2024 Spring weekend that he would get her to a Bowl game only increases the expectations of die-hard fans. His coaching failure last season cost them some wins.

Reviewing Deion Sanders’ coaching mistake in 2023

It was the Stanford game where Deion Sanders’ coaching abilities were criticized. The Buffs were a favorite to win leading 25-0 at halftime but the second half was filled with complacency where Deion Sanders accepted a penalty for Stanford’s personal foul which pushed the Cardinal back to the 31-yard line, winning them a 46-yard field goal. Stanford was able to turn the game around in overtime ultimately winning 46-43. 

Another instance of a coaching mistake by Deion Sanders was replacing Sean Lewis with Pat Shurmur ahead of the Oregon State game. This sudden change in the primary roles didn’t work to Coach Prime’s expectations as they lost 26-19, wiping out their best last chance to win for the season. Hopefully, these are all lessons well learned and fans are hoping that the 2024 season will be a different story.