Since winning the college football national championship in 1990, Colorado University’s football program has been on a slow decline. But now, with the hiring of National Football League (NFL) legend Deion Sanders, the hype around the school and hopes for the program are at an all-time high. 

Otherwise known as “Prime Time,” Sanders was known in the 90s for being an NFL and Major League Baseball (MLB) star. Now, he is arguably one of the top coaches in college football. Before Colorado, though, Sanders coached at Prime Prep Academy, where his two sons Sheduer and Shilo attended and played. After finding success there, he went to the collegiate level and in 2020 was named the head coach at Jackson State University—an HBCU in Jackson, Mississippi. Under his guidance, the team was very successful, and they led him to a career record of 27-6 as a coach. After his two seasons at Jackson State, Sanders was announced as the new head coach at Colorado in December of 2022.

Since the “Prime Time” era at Colorado began, the team has become the most talked about football team in the country. In the 2022 season, before Sanders became coach, the Buffaloes had a disappointing season finishing at just 1-11. Sanders came in to change this and bring back the team’s glory. Throughout the 1990s, Colorado’s football teams were dominant and even won the 1990 National Championship. But after this short period of success, they became a laughingstock of college football having only two winning seasons throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Ever since Sanders was appointed as the new head coach he has made it a goal to bring Colorado back to its winning ways. He has completely changed the culture there by bringing in 86 new players including his two sons Sheduer and Shilo as well as two-way star Travis Hunter and many others from Jackson State. 

For their first game of the 2023-24 season, the Buffs faced off against last year’s national championship runner-up TCU. Countless people were excited to watch, and lots of them thought it would be a blowout in TCU’s favor. However, that was not the case, as Colorado beat them 45-42 in a game full of memorable moments. After this, many new people started watching and following Colorado. According to the Athletic, 7 million viewers watched that game, and then an additional million tuned in the following weekend when they faced off against Nebraska. Then, their game against Colorado State drew in 9 million viewers, and their game against Oregon had 12 million according to ESPN. 

Deion Sanders has completely changed so much about college football. Since his first day as head coach, Sanders and his team have been overseeing their players’ social media accounts and have become their managers. Sanders has the biggest personality in college football and players love it. Earlier in the year, he said, “My kids . . , they didn’t choose a university. They chose me.” He is a coach who stands up for his players but also lets the players stand up for themselves. Sanders has also changed the culture of Colorado football, as the Buffs are looking like one of the most electric teams in the country. This has caught the attention of many people such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and rapper Offset. Sanders has done so much for Colorado in such little time. It seems like the hype for Colorado is endless and can’t be touched. This is all because of one man: Deion Sanders.