With their 52-0 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys last week in their final regular season game of the 2024 campaign, Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes capped one of the biggest turnarounds in recent college football history.
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Former NFL QB Cam Newton spoke about Sanders’ impact on the team during a recent episode of his 4th & 1 with Cam Newton show on YouTube. The former league MVP emphasized that Sanders’ “relatability” was a major reason for his success in his second act here as a head football coach.
Newton even called Sanders “the greatest GM in college football history” for his ability to field such a strong team at a small school like Colorado.
“It’s a thing that they call relatability. And when Deion Sanders walks into your living room, versus Kirby Smart walking into your living room. I could get to the same place, and that’s the NFL? A lot of times, coaches are like ministers. You choose your church, not because of the message but because of the belief. That is what they’re telling you, you believe in. But what goes a little deeper than that? That’s why Deion Sanders is the greatest GM in college football history.”
Newton elaborated on that hot take by arguing that the fact that Sanders comes from a similar financial situation as the kids he’s recruiting gives him a leg up on guys like Dabo Swinney and Kirby Smart. Newton also argued that if Sanders had access to the same amount of funds as they do at schools like Alabama, he’d blow them all out of the water.
“Has he not won everywhere he’s been? What makes the Kirbys, the Nick Sabans, the Dabos, the Hugh Freezes of the world, what makes them have their right to speak to you in the regard that they’re speaking to you is because of what they’ve been able to accomplish as a coach. The difference between Prime, is he can look at you, and he can give you an honest opinion. Because he actually did it as a player.”
🔥 The Best Coach in CFB. Cam Newton talks Coach Prime
"People can relate to @DeionSanders. Has he not won everywhere he has been? He can give you an honest opinion because he actually did it as a player. Prime has always been Prime"
📽️ @4thand1show pic.twitter.com/GRTdTuGzTR
— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) December 2, 2024
If you’re unfamiliar with his game, Deion Sanders played in the NFL from 1989 to 2005. He brought a unique flare and swagger to the league while also winning two Super Bowls in the mid-1990s. “Primetime” also racked up eight All-Pro nods and a spot on the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He is widely viewed as the greatest player to play the cornerback position. So, yeah, Newton’s right. The guy knows what he’s talking about.
Just two years ago, before Coach Prime arrived in Boulder, Colorado was in dire straits. They were coming off of a 1-11 season in 2022, their worst mark in a decade. Two years on, and they’re a 9-3 team with a Bowl game on the schedule.
Unfortunately, Sanders and company did fall short of a Big 12 Championship and/or College Football Playoff bid this year. However, the progress they’ve made—from 1-11 to 4-8 to 9-3 in just three years—is nearly unprecedented.
It is yet to be determined which Bowl game Colorado will play this year, but it will be their first since 2020. Two-way superstar Travis Hunter is also a shoo-in to become just the 2nd Buffaloes player to win the Heisman Trophy (Rashaan Salaam, 1994).
The cherry on top is that Deion put his sons in positions to be drafted into the NFL next spring. The elder, CB Shilo Sanders, is likely to be a mid-round selection. The younger, QB Shedeur Sanders, has the best odds to be the NFL’s No. 1 pick in 2025.
