Deion Sanders has become synonymous with the Colorado football program. Coach Prime has pushed the team back into the national limelight and now vows, along with Shedeur Sanders, to net more wins when they move to the Big 12 Conference. While the wins have yet to come for the program, the Buffaloes' school administration is already showing a lot of gratitude to their head honcho.
The Colorado football squad was not eligible for any bowl games in December. However, they were able to get their best season record yet since the short-lived eras of Karl Dorrell and Mark Sanford. These Buffaloes were also constructed through the transfer portal with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter becoming the centerpieces. All of which added to burying their previous year's record which only yielded one win in 12 games.
These combined with mixed with increased attendance, media coverage, and viewership have immortalized Deion Sanders as one of the greatest coaches to have turned the Colorado football program around. Due to this, the Buffaloes' school administration gave him a big $250,000 bonus. They outlined why this amount was given to Coach Prime in addition to his $5 million guaranteed salary for the year, via Scott Procter of the Fort Collins Coloradoan.
“The employee recognition bonus is a discretionary bonus awarded by Athletic Director Rick George for the immense impact Coach Prime has made on the football program, the Athletic Department, and the university in his first season,” they declared.
Big 12 Conference excited to host Deion Sanders, Colorado football
Despite finishing last in the Pac-12 conference in 2023, everyone was intrigued to see how the Buffaloes and Coach Prime would operate. So, the Colorado football program became the third-most watched college football team on the year. Only Nick Saban's last run with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ryan Day's star-studded Ohio State Buckeyes which featured Marvin Harrison Jr. were ranked higher than them when it came to ratings.
The instability of the Pac-12 then led the Buffaloes and Coach Prime to the Big 12. While there were a lot of adjustments in terms of competition logistics and other things involved, the conference is now more than ready for this new change. Oklahoma State head honcho Mike Gundy even expressed his excitement of having to deal with the squad from Boulder.
“I think that we're lucky in our league that he's with us. Because, he brings more people, notoriety, and viewers to the Big 12 Conference. That's what makes it go. We need viewership and we want people to watch our teams play. It'll be fun to have him in our league. It's fun for me to have Colorado back in our league and to be able to compete against him. I can only imagine what his competitive level is so that'll be fun,” Gundy said.
After a year of lofty expectations not being met, the Colorado football program could be very prepared to enter the new season. Will they be able to get more viewers and even possibly reach the College Football Playoff National Championship game?
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