Deion Sanders fans had a tough 2023 after his tall talk as Colorado Buffaloes head coach led to a 4-8 record in Boulder’s debut season of “Prime Time.” They needed Coach Prime to back up his words in 2024, especially with CU’s future in doubt once Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders declare for the 2025 NFL draft. Sanders has responded with six wins in the Buffs’ first eight games and a bowl game berth — just as he promised beloved 100-year-old superfan Peggy Coppom, the team’s unofficial ambassador, at the Black and Gold spring game. Coach Prime fans’ patience paid off in a big way this year.
- Andrew Hughes
FanSided Site Expert
Why we needed this fandom this year
It was now or never for Coach Prime. If Sanders’ Buffs suffered through another losing season, there’s no guarantee the 57-year-old would want to coach at all beyond his sons graduating and heading to the pros. But with a wildly successful re-debut in the Big 12, Sanders now has a proof of concept to sell recruits on in future offseasons.
How this fandom is changing sports
Given his program’s successful 2024 season, Deion’s 40-40-20 recruiting model — 40 percent of every recruiting class being transfers, 40 percent being grad transfers and 20 percent being high school recruits — now looks sustainable. College football is fundamentally changing, and Sanders is leading that charge. Expect more programs to roll the dice on coaches who’ll promise the immediate rebuild Coach Prime just pulled off at Colorado.