Before Deion Sanders became the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, the fanbase was hardly considered among the crème de la crème of college football. However, things changed dramatically. While there has been a notable improvement in on-field performance, the media coverage and attention that CU has received due to Sanders has been astronomical. To celebrate and applaud this achievement by Coach Prime, the program awarded their head coach an unusual publicity bonus of $250,000.
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According to USA Today Sports, the Buffaloes awarded Coach Prime with an Employee Recognition Bonus for the national recognition that he has brought to the institution, and rightly so. Since Sanders’ arrival, the Buffs have seen their stock rise significantly, now being mentioned alongside traditional powerhouses like Georgia, Texas, and Alabama, among others.
The main reason behind this meteoric rise in visibility is the attention generated by Sanders. Reports indicate that the university saw an increase of $343 million in ‘earned media’ since Sanders’ arrival. This marks a staggering rise of $256 million, as the ‘earned media’ value in 2022 was only $87 million.
Moreover, the Buffs’ games were widely watched by the masses. Among the 25 most-viewed games of last season, five of the topmost were from Sanders’ program.
However, the most interesting part of this hefty bonus is the fact that it was not part of the contract between the two parties. Details even show that the publicity bonus received by Sanders is even higher than a lot of the bonuses and variables listed in his contract.
Sanders Missed Out on $350K Bonus Last Year
As mentioned above, the bonus is just a recognition award by the University of Colorado “for the immense impact Coach Prime has made on the football program, the Athletic Department, and the university in his first season.”
Interestingly, the recognition prize bonus is higher than two key bonuses listed in Coach Prime’s contract – 1] $150,000 for winning six games and 2] $200,000 for getting invited to a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Ironically, Coach Prime failed to achieve both of these milestones. However, the most important impact by Sanders was seen in the jaw-dropping rise in college applications this year. This number was especially high among the Black applicants, which saw a 50.5% increase.
Considering the tangible improvements that Coach Sanders has brought about, it’s a completely deserving bonus. The University of Colorado must be delighted with Prime’s impact and will be hoping for a change in on-field fortunes to create a double whammy with their head coach.
