When Deion Sanders first signed on to be the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, the program was an afterthought. Having won just one regular season game throughout the entirety of the 2022 season, hardly anyone outside of the local populace was aware that the program even existed.
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Now, the program is on the cusp of seeing two prospects selected in the first round of the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft and features one of the most decorated coaching staffs in all of football. As a result of transforming the Buffaloes from a nonexistent program into a national spectacle, Coach Prime expected a payday, and rightfully so.
His original deal was valued at $29.5 million, now the university has announced a five-year, $54 million extension, nearly doubling the football legend’s original salary. Despite now being the highest paid coach in the Big-12 conference, one analyst maintains that Sanders is still being significantly undervalued.
On the latest episode of The Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio’s Dan Beyer argued that Coach Prime is deserving of even more.
“I still think Deion Sanders is underpaid… For everything that he’s done for that school, for that program, for the area around the school, not unlike what Will Wade was selling what he did with McNeese. I think Deion has done it 100 times fold in Boulder.”
Sanders is now listed as the fourth highest paid coach in the FBS and is set to earn more than the likes of Texas’ head coach, Steve Sarkisian. While Colorado may not be on the same level competitively as Georgia or Ohio State, Sanders’ presence has resulted in the program receiving equal viewership numbers at times.
According to a report made by the university in 2024, the Buffaloes proved to outdo the likes of Alabama and Ohio State in tv ratings and remained on par with Georgia throughout the duration of the regular season.
“Through the regular season (12 games), Colorado is tied with Georgia in number of games over three million viewers with 10 of the 12 games played over that mark. Alabama and Ohio State rank are tied for third with eight games apiece.”
It’s always prime time when Sanders is involved.
Aaron Torres talks about Sanders’ impact
In response to Beyer’s claims that the NFL Hall of Famer remains underpaid by the university, veteran sports journalist Aaron Torres felt the need to highlight what he deemed to be “the Coach Prime effect.” In detailing the various streams of revenue that Sanders has opened up for the program, Torres seemed to align with the notion that Sanders’ value to the town of Boulder is immeasurable.
“Hiring Sanders helped lead the department to $146 million in reported revenue, $31 million in ticket sales… I think we’ve seen numbers that reflect that he has created hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue for that community with what he’s been able to do.”
Having now helped everyone from student athletes to local business owners, Sanders’ contract extension will help to further the impact that he has both on and off of the field. With his personal finances now in order, Sanders and the rest of his herd will turn their attention towards the upcoming 2025 regular season as the Buffaloes are set to host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on August 29th.
