Deion Sanders and Colorado have achieved immense success this season. After finishing 4-8 in his first season, Sanders has led the Buffaloes to a 7-2 season where the team is bowl-eligible for the first time since their Alamo Bowl appearance in 2020. But, ESPN's Paul Finebaum believes that the Pro Football Hall-of-Famer should leave Boulder after this season.
Finebaum explained his point of view on The Matt Barrie Show, saying, “I never really liked the Colorado job but he’s made the most out of it. It’s been a struggle, he’s already beaten the odds. It’s a good time to get out, buy low sell high. I’m not a broker but that’s not hard to figure out. It’s hard to imagine, there’s just too many complications out there. He’s on a big stage but it’s nothing compared to what he’d be. First of all, there is nothing that compares to Dallas. It’s the biggest franchise in all of sports when it comes to attention.”
Sanders has often been mentioned in coaching conversations relative to the Dallas Cowboys. Sanders's success with the franchise has many in the sports world believing that he would be the perfect person to lead the team back to relevance that they haven't enjoyed since Sanders joined the eventual Super Bowl-winning Cowboys squad in 1995. But, Sanders has routinely stated that he has no intentions to coach in the pros.
“I don’t have any desire or ambition to coach in the NFL,” Sanders told SI.com in January. “I have a problem with men getting their checks and not doing their jobs. I would be too tough as a coach in the NFL because I still have those old-school attributes.”
This isn't the first time that Sanders has poured cold water on the conversations about a leap to the NFL from the College Football Landscape. But, Barrie had a another interesting destination for him: Florida State.
“You’re telling me there aren’t people in the Florida State administration that aren’t like man should we go, Deion is ours, Deion can recruit, should we kick those tires. Shedeur is gone, Travis Hunter’s gone. That’s going to be something that happens because of Deion’s connection to Florida State and everything he did there.”
Sanders taking over for Mike Norvell would be interesting given his recent history with his alma mater. Sanders initially interviewed to be the head coach of the Seminoles before they chose to hire Norvell. Sanders then went to Jackson State, which he departed in 2022 to join the Buffaloes.
At the start of the 2023 season, Sanders claimed that his alma mater was Talladega College. Although his athletic legacy was forged at Florida State, he received his bachelor's degree from the Alabama-based HBCU.
“No, no, no…actually, do you know where I graduated from? I graduated from an HBCU,” Sanders said in a response to a reporter who called him a Nole. “So I'm a who? No, I'm a who? I thought it's where you graduated from, isn't it? Why do you keep calling me that when you know where I graduated from? I'm an HBCU grad.”
There's no doubt that Sanders would likely change his tune a bit if he were indeed offered the Seminoles job. But, it doesn't appear likely as Norvell reshuffles the deck with his coaching staff. Sanders also hasn't said much about leaving the program, as he appears focused and committed to leading the Buffaloes to success.
But, similar to Deion Sanders's time with Jackson State, the conversations will continue until he does or doesn't leave Colorado. Nevertheless, the Buffaloes look to stay alive in the Big 12 championship race as they face off against Utah on November 16th at 12 PM EST. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
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