“Now the Expectation Is Greater”: Deion Sanders Speaks Up About His Upcoming Season as Colorado HC

Deion Sanders has officially raised the expectations for Colorado Buffaloes fans after a 9-3 season. What comes next?

In an interview with Thee Pregame Show, Coach Prime talked about the program’s future. He outlined the need to improve the roster, the coaching staff, and the people around the program who support them financially. The CU head coach was also asked about his thoughts on winning nine games this year, and still missing out on the Big-12 championship, as well as the college football playoff.

“Everything that supports the program you’ve got to improve,” Sanders said in response. “Now the expectation is greater and when the expectation is greater, the deliverables have to be as well.”

It’s a powerful statement from Sanders and one that might dispel rumors of him moving on to the NFL. He has a clear vision for the program, and it seems like he wants to see it through to the end of his contract in 2028. His son, Shedeur, and the freak two-way athlete, Travis Hunter, were just the beginning of the show. Now, Sanders turns his sights toward the main event: building a college football powerhouse.

Pressure on Sanders like never before

The flip side for Deion and the Buffs is that he needs to replenish the roster and fast. Gone are the likes of Shedeur, Hunter, and a number of impactful senior players. Jimmy Horn Jr, LaJohntay Wester, and Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig just to name a few.

While they didn’t get as much advertising as Shedeur and Hunter, these were the types of players that glued everything together in Colorado. This is going to put inevitable pressure on Sanders.

But it’s nothing the head coach hasn’t dealt with before. Sanders may have actually dealt with the most amount of pressure throughout his playing and coaching career. From being told he can’t play both ways in the NFL, to people saying he couldn’t play two sports at the same time. Then in coaching, when he took the job at Jackson State, people were skeptical, and they stayed that way even after he took the reins in Colorado.

Doubt, skepticism, and controversy have followed Sanders throughout his entire life. And he has done nothing but stand up in the face of that pressure, and deliver results.

As of now, the Buffaloes should have a pretty decent recruiting class coming in to replace everyone. Overall, they rank 26th in the nation and 37th compositely in the 2025 recruiting class.

Sanders has managed to secure five four-star prospects, as well as nine three-stars. He’s also secured some pretty exciting transfers like quarterback Kaiden Salter from Liberty, cornerback Makari Vickers from Oklahoma, and even Jehiem Oatis, a former four-star recruit transferring from Alabama.

While there is immense pressure now for Sanders to perform without his son, and of course, Travis, he’s still set himself up for success. It’s just typical Coach Prime and he should continue to prove his haters wrong.