Deion Sanders took the college football world by storm earlier this year. At this point, he has become synonymous with the Buffaloes, despite only having had the HC position for a year. He has shown the world just how influential he can be with the right team. He has firmly had headlines in his grasp from the start of the season. Despite the season not going in his favor, that has not affected his popularity as one might expect.
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The Colorado Buffaloes lost the season 4-8, crushing many hopes for the team’s resurgence under Sanders. However, that didn’t stop Sports Illustrated from naming Deion Sanders the 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, punctuating how influential Coach Prime has been this season.
However, his less-than-ideal run as HC for the Buffaloes: winning only against teams without winning records, not charting a single win in the past six weeks, and ending up last in the Pac-12 (same as last year); had many looking for answers to justify this honor by SI. Several users gaffed that the post was perhaps released due to a scheduling error, and it was meant to go up in September when the Buffaloes still had a respectable record:
AI must have wrote this in September
— SHREDDER (@SHREDDER_365) November 30, 2023
when a scheduled tweet goes wrong
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) November 30, 2023
Many pointed towards Colorado’s dismal 4-8 record to make a point against the nomination as one fan called it an “absolute joke“:
What an absolute joke. Colorado is 4-8. Unreal!
— EvilMattCanada (@TheMattCanada) November 30, 2023
Help me understand how Sanders meets the criteria for Sportsperson of the Year.
Sportsmanship? He ran off players, turned molehills into mountains, & had players flashing jewelry at fans.
Achievement? 4-8 CU beat zero teams w/ winning records.
Best win is what? TCU? Nebraska? pic.twitter.com/h1lZVx2s04
— Dave Feit (@FeitCanWrite) November 30, 2023
While the majority sentiment was of disbelief, some fans were quick to protest the hate Sanders has been getting. They pointed toward the many milestones the coach has been able to touch in his short stint in Colorado:
People are going to flame Coach Prime for the team not finishing the team strong, and that is fair.
But you can’t argue the following:
No one has brought more attention to any sport in the last decade than Prime brought to college football in the first half of the season.… pic.twitter.com/VtjXy6kQ74
— Nick Brown (@NickBrownCO) November 30, 2023
He single handily altered the direction of that program. Can’t wait to watch him next year.
— Ha! (@Evulthotz) December 1, 2023
The post has polarized college football fans, but that is the nature of the game. While they may have not had a great season this year, Deion Sanders has promised a more interesting year to come in the SI feature.
Coach Prime is Here, And He’s Just Getting Started
Despite how the season might’ve ended, one cannot argue that Sanders played a pivotal role in putting the downtrodden 1-11 Buffs back on the map. He rejuvenated the program, instilling newfound faith in the fanbase that had been suffering for the past few years. He overhauled his roster after his arrival to Colorado and turned to the transfer portal to quickly rebuild.
PrimeTime @DeionSanders in the building ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/RpmBKTAzoD
— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2023
He owned his methods and showed infallible faith in the team he had built. However, it did not work out as well as he would’ve hoped. But the Coach’s unwavering confidence remains. They might’ve failed this season, but Sanders is eager to rebuild and to make a resounding comeback, as the caption itself stated: “Coach Prime is here, and he’s just getting started.” Fans can look forward to an even more interesting next season for the Buffs. It will be interesting to see the direction Sanders is going to take his team.
