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Some coaches do better in college. One such coach is Deion Sanders at Colorado. His team, the Buffs, didn’t meet the hype at the end of his first season in Boulder. Still, they improved on the football field. They won three more games in 2023 than in 2022 but fell two wins short of bowl eligibility. By the way, his sons are turning pro soon.
In a chat with FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt, Sanders was clear about his future plans.
He has no intention of following his sons Shedeur and Shilo or Travis Hunter to the NFL once they finish their college careers. Hunter is a top-five prospect. Shedeur is a first-round talent. Shilo? He’ll get drafted too.
A lot can change, but I support Sanders’ stance on the NFL.
“I’m a leader of men, not a follower of men. I’m a father, not a baby daddy. I lead my sons. I don’t follow my sons. My sons, Travis [Hunter] included, are getting ready to migrate to the NFL. I’m not following them to the NFL.”
He emphasized that he paved the way for them, not vice versa.
“I paved the way for my babies. They’re not paving the way for me. So, I plan on being here and being dominant here because they’re establishing something that we’re going to continue to build on for years to come. And I’m thankful that they’re establishing what they’re establishing.”
Here’s the full episode of The Joel Klatt Show featuring Sanders discussing CU football.
Let’s break down what Sanders means with these powerful quotes.
Deion Sanders does not plan to follow his sons to the NFL after this year.
Despite a chaotic offseason for Colorado, I still have faith in him. He’s my favorite NFL player ever and was an excellent interview last summer. I’ve never thought he wanted to be an NFL head coach. Even if the Dallas Cowboys job opened up, he’s too smart to take such a high-risk position.
Staying at Colorado allows Sanders to build a sustainable program with realistic expectations. It requires active participation in high school recruiting and maintaining cachet in the transfer portal—though it can’t replace grassroots efforts from high school.
Moreover, Sanders is more of a CEO-type than any college football head coach I’ve seen recently. More so than Dabo Swinney at Clemson or Urban Meyer at Ohio State and Florida. If Sanders wins at Colorado soon, he can coach there as long as he wants. Remember, NFL stands for Not For Long…
Sanders’ comments seem too deliberate not to be genuine; we should believe him.
