Deion Sanders didn’t hold back his praise for Utah’s Kyle Whittingham during his weekly press conference. Before discussing his own Colorado team, Sanders spoke directly about his respect for the Utes’ head coach.
“Coach Whittingham. Unbelievable. He’s a pillar of consistency, one of my heroes in his coaching realm. He’s been doing it for quite some time. I wish I could have the tenure he’s had at Utah. His team resembles who he is as a man, how he played the game — physical, tough, consistent. I love what they’re doing.”
Sanders paused before adding what felt more personal than typical coach-speak.
“You’re lucky that you have him as your head coach, and I think Utah understands that.”
The press conference showcased classic Prime. Sanders mixed laughter with serious reflection while discussing everything from fishing trips to former NFL connections.
When reporters asked about preparing his defense for Utah’s running game, Sanders shifted from humor to focus quickly.
“We’ve been physical all week. We’ve been doing some things all week that prayerfully we prevent that and force them to be uncomfortable. They don’t really make a lot of mistakes. We gotta force them into doing things that they’re uncomfortable with doing.”
Sanders delivered his most emotional response when asked if the bye week helped him recover from a recent medical procedure.
“It wasn’t important for me. I like to go after the wind like that. You wanna keep going. You don’t wanna bye week. You wanna keep the momentum going…I don’t need recharging, man. God got me. I know that sounds like a cliché, but I’m not lying. God got me.
“When I go through things, it’s not just for me, it’s for others to glean from me and say, ‘You know what, if he could fight through that, I could fight through this.’ If he could walk through that storm, I could walk through that storm… That’s what it’s for. It’s not for me, because I know He has me. I’m one of His soldiers, and He uses me mightily. I know what it is. It’s a hard call. That’s why I get attacked all the time — because it’s a tremendous calling, and I accept it.
“I love where I am in life. I’m glad, and I love Boulder. I do.”
Sanders wrapped up the session with the same perspective he brought to it. He showed both humor and the calm confidence that comes from strong beliefs.
“I know where we wanna be. I know what we should be. Could we be better? So much. Should we have won several of the games that we lost? Yes. But I’m not happy with where we are, but I’m happy with where we’re going.”
