Is Deion Sanders‘ recruitment strategy faulty? He intends to revamp the offensive line for the Colorado Buffaloes. He’s also gone the extra mile in playing the waiting game and then recruiting Jordan Seaton into the mix. However, is he banking on way too much on the transfer portal? Well, some people might say so.

Jesse Simonton, an international analyst who was on ‘On3 Recruits’, called out the HC for not being skillful with his recruitments. What did he say?

Deion Sanders’ unorthodox recruitment strategies and a future Colorado prospect

The ever-meticulous and innovative thinker Deion Sanders follows a unique strategy when it comes to recruitment. While several pundits and renowned panelists hail him as the master of recruits, a few have also discussed the coach’s potential lapses.

Jesse Simonton criticized Sanders’ 40-40-20 plan, where the roster consists of 40% graduate transfers, 40% undergraduate transfers, and 20% high school signees. “We’ve just never seen that work.” He felt it was unusual to see this kind of plan in his second year with the team.

“I don’t know that Deion is not a good high school recruiter. But to date, we have never seen him enter a high school in the walls like the Kirby Smarts and the Nick Saban… We talked about that before. He doesn’t visit these programs.”

Further, he also stated that Sanders was lucky to recruit Travis Hunter without ever stepping foot on Hunter’s high school campus. The coach recruited Hunter at Jackson State, but when Sanders moved to the Buffs, Hunter followed. However, Jesse Simonton is skeptical something like this will ever take place again. He was unhappy that ‘Coach Prime’ was heavily relying on the portal for new recruits.

Now, there’s a 2025 prospect waiting in line in the form of Bryce Underwood. The QB is set to announce his commitment on January 6th and Colorado is amongst the top 7 teams shortlisted by the player. He also visited the premises this year and if everything goes well, he could be a great replacement once Shedeur leaves for the NFL. As opposed to seeking talented high-school performers, Sanders works with a rebuilding formula. It yielded results during the 2023 recruits when he took over the reins of the team. While it wasn’t a success, the team looked better.

What makes Deion Sanders’ recruitment planning unique?

Deion Sanders is a firm believer in going the unraveled path when it comes to recruiting. In fact, one can speculate he’s strongly against recruiting players for money. Nowadays, the common practice is to motivate players through the NIL (name, image, and likeness) to absorb players. But most of the players who have joined Coach Prime this year were looking for an opportunity to play under the HC.

ALSO READ: Shedeur Spills the Beans on Deion Sanders’ Mega Plans to Revolutionize Colorado Further After Recruitment Masterclass

Such is his impact that new players want to learn and play under his guidance. ‘Prime Time’ too took a clear stance that players who join his team must know that they’re not getting rich with this team. But getting a real chance of representing in the NFL and completing their degrees. “We’re not an ATM. That’s not gonna happen here,” he said.

Apart from Jordan Seaton, other players who signed with the team include Drelon Miller, Kamron Mikell, Will Sheppard, and Tyler Johnson. In fact, as per Brad Crawford from 247Sports, Colorado Buffaloes were ranked as the No. 2 biggest transfer portal winners. With five additions to their offensive line over a 72-hour period, ‘Coach Prime’ is ready to deliver his promise.

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