Deion Sanders has turned Colorado football into one of the hottest recruiting destinations in the country. Even after dealing with a recent health scare, “Coach Prime” remains committed to leading the Buffaloes and elevating the program.
But not everyone is convinced yet.
CBS Sports analyst Shehan Jeyarajah recently ranked Sanders No. 7 among Big 12 coaches. That places him behind Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, Kansas’ Lance Leipold, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, and BYU’s Kalani Sitake.
Sitake actually moved ahead of Sanders at No. 6.
The ranking surprises many observers, especially after Sanders led Colorado to a 9-3 record — their first winning season since 2016. Given his accomplishments, it’s difficult to understand why he wouldn’t crack the top five entering this season.
“Sanders was one of the hardest coaches to play against in his first two seasons at Colorado. But a nine-win season makes the evaluation a little easier. The Buffaloes notched their most wins since 2016 and produced Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Maintaining that success will be difficult with Hunter and Shedeur Sanders off to the NFL, but the breakout season is enough to earn Sanders a nice little bump.”
Colorado lost both Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to the NFL. But the roster remains competitive.
The Buffaloes secured a commitment from five-star quarterback Julian Lewis. They also added former Liberty signal caller Kaidon Salters to compete for the starting quarterback position.
Colorado finished the offseason with the No. 24 overall recruiting class and the No. 19 transfer portal class, according to 247Sports.
The program brought in 33 total recruits from the portal, including seven four-star players.
Sanders didn’t mess around this offseason. The Buffaloes are focused on continuing to make noise in the Big 12.
Sanders’ work both on and off the field tells a bigger story than what some national analysts suggest. If Colorado keeps progressing at this rate, he’ll likely climb well above that No. 7 spot in Big 12 coaching rankings soon enough.
