BOULDER — He dropped the microphone at center stage, knowing the nation was clinging to his every word.
With a reported 15.3 million people watching a “Thursday Night Football” game between the Cowboys and Seahawks on Nov. 30, Amazon Prime viewers were treated to the best man to ever throw down a gauntlet at Deion Sanders.
Deion Sanders himself.
“This (2023) was a season of hope. We instilled hope not only in our fan base but in college football alike,” CU’s football coach told the “TNF” broadcast crew, just five days after the Buffs’ season, his first, had wrapped with a 4-8 record. “But next year is a season of expectation.”
Next year is here. Prime At CU II, under the lights. And Thursday night’s season opener at Folsom Field against FCS power North Dakota State also starts the clock on the last dance for the most critical pieces of what Coach Prime brought to Boulder.
Son Shedeur Sanders, the Buffs’ QB1, is expected to toss his name in the hat for the 2025 NFL draft, where he’s likely to be no worse than the second or third quarterback taken off the board. Son Shilo Sanders, one of CU’s starting safeties, will exhaust his eligibility. Star cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, one of the most unique and dynamic talents in college football, is eligible for the NFL draft for the first time after the 2024 season. As a probable top-10 pick, Hunter’s also likely to test the pro waters within a matter of months.
They’re breaking up the band, so to speak. So from the day he was hired away from Jackson State in December 2022, Coach Prime had targeted the fall of 2024 as the autumn to make hay, the real corner-turning season — the fall when all the chips would be pushed to the center of the table.
“It’s a prove-us-right type of thing”
When it comes to personnel or staff fits, Sanders hasn’t been afraid to gamble. Or shake things up.
Since last November, CU has turned over roughly 50% of the roster; more than half the coaching staff; more than 90% of the offensive line room; and the men responsible for coordinating all three phases — offense, defense and special teams.
The constant shuffling has raised questions from pundits and outsiders about program stability, never mind sustainability. But Sanders has countered that what worked for him in Jackson — the Tigers went 27-6 over Coach Prime’s three seasons at the helm — will translate in Boulder and in the new-look Big 12. If “The Prime Effect” is going to be felt as much on the football field as it has in the university’s coffers, this is the season where Sanders’ methods can prove it.
“I want to say it’s not a prove (anybody) wrong, it’s a prove-us-right type of thing,” safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, a transfer from Jackson State who started 10 games for CU last fall, told The Denver Post.
“So we know what the expectation is. We know (that with) the team that we’ve got here, that we really can do something special.
“I mean, a lot of these guys that came from a lot of different schools, they see that we’re just different. We just move different. Our swag is a little different. We do stuff a little different. So we expect to win. That’s everybody’s expectation right now.”
Sanders has stressed repeatedly just how close those expectations were to being met last season. CU played in eight one-score games in 2023, posting a 3-5 record in those contests. Six Pac-12 games were decided by eight points or fewer — the Buffs went 1-5.
That’s another core reason why Sanders, his coaches and his players see an immediate turnaround. Reverse 2023’s close-tilt ledger from 3-5 to 5-3, and the Buffs are bowling at 6-6.
Although Coach Prime is aiming for something better this time around.
“One thing about Coach Prime, when he comes to work, he comes to work with the same approach,” CU assistant head coach/running backs coach Gary “Flea” Harrell said in late July. “His message is going to be the message, it’s going to be very clear. Like I said, the hope that we had — we had some hope last year, we kind of fell off towards the end.
“So he kind of installed that every day during the offseason, about holding everyone accountable … the expectation is now. We’re not waiting for Year 3 to win. We’re not waiting for midseason. … It has to happen now. So he has that ‘now’ approach. So every day he comes into work, his mentality, his thought process, his message, his philosophy is the same. He don’t deviate from it. That’s why he’s Deion Sanders.
“And as a player, as a coach, as a player that’s underneath him, you have no choice but to adapt to that. Or you will get surpassed, or you will be someone that has to be replaced. And that’s the bottom line.”
“We’re going to have success”
Since the season-ending loss at Utah last November, Sanders has replaced his offensive line coach, tight ends coach, wide receivers coach, outside linebackers coach, defensive ends coach, defensive tackles coach, defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and his lead special teams analyst from 2023.
Of the 10 full-time coaches listed via the CU Buffs’ official website, seven find themselves in new roles for 2024. Buffs assistant Pat Shurmur noted earlier this month that the staff is embracing a chance to show how well the new pieces fit.
“I think everybody tries to prove it, every day,” the former Broncos play-caller said. “I mean, you’re always trying to give great effort and do what you think is best. And as you’ve gone through life and you’ve tried things that didn’t work, it helps you make better decisions as to what’s best, you know? And I don’t know — maybe it’s the mountain air. But I just feel mentally much more clarity when it comes to that stuff.”
What kind of heights could CU obtain under Sanders?
The proof is in the blocking. Same as a year ago.
“We all know that last year the big issue was the O-line,” sophomore center and former Cherry Creek standout Hank Zilinskas said recently. “So I think this year, really, what we need to prove to everyone is that, first of all, we can protect Shedeur. Second of all, (that) we can run the ball. I think we’ve got a lot of like-minded guys who really are passionate about it. So I think we’re going to have success in doing that this year.”
Hope is here. Expectation awaits. The final say for CU fans starving to see a consistent winner again will belong to the new scoreboard rising above the south end of Folsom.
“It’s going to be a phenomenal year, I’m telling you,” Sanders said earlier this month. “It’s what I know, not what I heard.”
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.
Originally Published: August 27, 2024 at 11:11 a.m.
