Deion Sanders will need to go all-in to outbid Alabama for electric portal target

Deion Sanders has truly turned the tide at Colorado as he wraps up his second season in Boulder. When he got there, the Buffs were a program at the bottom of the Pac-12; now, they're competing at the top of the Big 12 — and even more impressively, they're competing with the likes of Alabama and the other heavyweights for some of the top high school prospects and transfers in the country.

We've already seen Sanders flex his muscle on the recruiting trail this fall. Now that it's officially portal season, his next task will be his toughest yet: trying to outbid the tide for Kevin Concepcion’s signature after the NC State wideout announced that he plans to leave Raleigh. On3 reported that Concepcion's potential landing spots include Bama, Colorado, Kansas State, Auburn and Penn State.

And believe it or not, Sanders might actually have a leg up on the Crimson Tide for more reasons than one. Sure, Sanders can point to how he turned his son Shedeur and Travis Hunter into two of the most talked-about college football players this season. Or how both could very well be Nos. 1 and 2 in the upcoming NFL Draft. 

But if Concepion needs more to sway him to Colorado, Sanders has something Alabama doesn’t quite have right now.

How Deion Sanders has leg up on Alabama in recruiting battle for NC State transfer Kevin Concepcion

I would assume one reason Concepion decided to enter the portal is because, beyond NC State not having the season it was hoping for in 2024, the Wolfpack are also staring down uncertainty at the quarterback position. And that’s the one thing Sanders has over Alabama right now. 

With Jalen Milroe most likely declaring for the NFL Draft, Kalen DeBoer doesn't know who his quarterback will be next year. While the Tide have time to figure that out, it could sway potential targets like Concepcion, especially if other suitors can offer more of a sure thing.

At Colorado, on the other hand, Sanders has anchored down the future beyond his son, getting a commitment from five-star prospect Julian Lewis. Sanders flipped Lewis from USC, a sign that he's truly building a sustainable program at Colorado rather than just banking on his son and Hunter. What Colorado has become under Sanders is a testament to how serious he is about rebuilding. So he doesn’t need to convince Concepcion to transfer based off what they’ve done. He’s selling him on what they’re going to do. 

Hunter was the team's leading receiver, but the Buffs also had three other receivers with 400 or more receiving yards and four with 30 or more receptions. Alabama had just one receiver with more than 400 yards. The Buffaloes are going to spread the ball around, and have showcased plenty of ways to get the ball into Concepcion's hands.

It could be the perfect situation for Concepcion to grow and develop. And he’ll have no problem playing second fiddle like he probably would to Ryan Williams at Alabama.