Tag: Deion Sanders

Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders runs onto the field before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado keeps Deion Sanders with contract extension, huge raise

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Deion Sanders will remain the head coach at Colorado through the 2029 season under terms of a contract extension announced Friday.

He will earn a base salary of $10 million in 2025, making him the highest-paid football coach in the Big 12 and among the top 10 highest-paid head football coaches in the country, the university announced.

ESPN reported that his total compensation over five years will be $54 million, with his pay rising to $11 million annually in 2027 and $12 million in 2029.

Last season, he earned $5.7 million, according to the USA Today coaches’ salary database. Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State earned $7.75 million to top the Big 12, per the database.

Sanders took over a team that was 1-11 in 2022 and saw an improvement to 4-8 in his first season. In 2024, the Buffaloes were 9-4 and earned an invitation to the Alamo Bowl.

In a news release, the school called Sanders’ two seasons as head coach as “transformational” and credited his leadership for turning the Colorado football team into one of the “most-watched teams in sports,” citing 54 million viewers in 2024 as evidence.

“Coach Prime has revolutionized college football and in doing so, has restored CU football to our rightful place as a national power,” athletic director Rick George said. “This extension not only recognizes Coach’s incredible accomplishments transforming our program on and off the field, it keeps him in Boulder to compete for conference and national championships in the years to come.”

Campus leaders also said Sanders’ presence and visibility has influenced the academic side of Colorado, which has seen a 20 percent increase in applications, including an increase of 50.5 percent from students who classify themselves as Black/African American. He also speaks in classes and special campus events.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to continue building something special here at Colorado,” said Sanders, 57. “We’ve just scratched the surface of what this program can be. It’s not just about football; it’s about developing young men who are ready to take on the world. I’m committed to bringing greatness to this university, on and off the field. We’ve got work to do, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here, making history with these incredible players and this passionate fan base.

“Lastly, anybody got at least a five-bedroom home with acreage for sale?”

Sanders played 14 seasons as a defensive back in the National Football League, won two Super Bowls and was named a first-team All-Pro six times. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Concurrently, he played nine Major League Baseball seasons, retiring with a career average of .263 with 186 stolen bases and 43 triples in 641 games.

Immediately before accepting the Colorado job, Sanders spent three seasons as the head coach at Jackson State, finishing with a 27-6 record.

–Field Level Media

Jan 1, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense coordinator Byron Leftwich against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Report: Byron Leftwich joining Colorado coaching staff

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former NFL quarterback and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is joining the coaching staff under Deion Sanders at Colorado, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported Wednesday.

The reports come a day after Leftwich was spotted at practice holding a clipboard and wearing Colorado football gear. Sanders said on Monday Colorado would make “a couple more huge moves” this week but has not confirmed Leftwich’s hiring.

It’s unclear what Leftwich’s role will be on Sanders’ staff.

Leftwich interviewed with the New England Patriots for their head coaching post in January.

Leftwich, 45, most recently worked as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2019-22, a stint that included a Super Bowl win in the 2020 season.

Leftwich was fired by Bucs head coach Todd Bowles after the 2022 season, which saw Tampa Bay slip from the top 3 in scoring the previous three seasons to No. 15 in yards and No. 25 in points in 2022.

A quarterback and first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2003 NFL Draft, Leftwich had a 24-26 record with 10,532 passing yards and 58 touchdowns in 60 games with the Jaguars (2003-06), Atlanta Falcons (2007), Bucs (2009) and Steelers (2008, 2010, 2012).

He also worked in various roles including the interim offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals from 2016-2018.

–Field Level Media

Feb 11, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; NFL former player Marshall Faulk during the NFL Alumni Legends Party Presented by USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures at Avalon Hollywood. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Colorado adds Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk to coaching staff

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Marshall Faulk is joining head coach Deion Sanders at Colorado, giving the Buffaloes three members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on its coaching staff.

Sanders and Faulk were 2011 inductees in Canton, with Warren Sapp joining them in 2013.

Sapp is the Buffaloes’ senior quality control analyst on defense. Faulk will coach the running backs and will be tasked with improving a running game that ranked 134th in the nation with 65.1 yards per game.

Faulk brings a lengthy resume to his role as running backs coach at Colorado.

He was a first-team All-American three times at San Diego State and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

In the NFL, he was the league Most Valuable Player in 2000, a three-time Offensive Player of the Year and a three-time first-team All Pro. The No. 2 overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, he won the Super Bowl with the then-St. Louis Rams and its “Greatest Show on Turf.”

Faulk, 51, played 12 seasons in the NFL and tallied 12,279 rushing yards, 6,875 receiving yards and 136 total touchdowns.

Sanders is entering his third season as head coach at Colorado. The Buffaloes finished the 2024 season with a 9-4 record.

–Field Level Media

Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders reacts with an official after a play during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Colorado’s Deion Sanders: Zero interest in coaching ‘pro ball,’ Cowboys

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Deion Sanders stayed at Colorado after interest from the Dallas Cowboys in hiring the Hall of Fame cornerback to return the NFL as Mike McCarthy’s replacement.

But the pro game is, well, too “Primetime” for even Sanders these days, he said on “We Got Time Today” on Tubi in a discussion about contact from the Cowboys with Troy Aikman.

“I couldn’t coach pro ball,” Sanders said.

“That’s why I say, I couldn’t coach — I know it was cute. But I couldn’t coach pro ball, because the way they practice, the way they go about it, I couldn’t take it. As a man, and as a football enthusiast, and I care about the game. The game is still providing for Troy and I, so there is no way I could allow that to happen on my watch. That would be tough.”

The sentiment is not new for Sanders. He told “60 Minutes” in 2022 he wouldn’t be interested by any NFL opening. He’s 13-12 in two seasons as head coach at Colorado. The Buffaloes went 9-4 last season and cornerback-wide receiver Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy.

The Cowboys last appeared in a Super Bowl in 1996, a roster that featured Sanders, Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Charles Haley.

“For Dallas, Deion would have been a really good fit because he would have commanded the room, and his personality is such that people would have known that he was in charge,” Aikman said. “And I think that’s important for (the) organization to know that the head coach is the one who’s calling the shots and that he’s in charge.”

Aikman said some of Sanders’ former teammates with the Cowboys are perturbed by owner Jerry Jones not pushing for a formal interview or making Sanders an offer.

“You didn’t need a call from me,” Aikman said. “I was … I was watching, wondering how this whole thing was going to unfold. I will say this: As you know playmaker Michael Irvin is a Cowboy apologist and you not getting an official interview, not being hired, even he, I’m not sure he’s on the train right now.”

Dallas hired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer instead, an in-house promotion for the longtime assistant and son of late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) with head coach Deion Sanders against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Deion Sanders: Zero Colorado players will opt out of Alamo Bowl

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The full complement of Colorado players and Sanders Family can be counted on for the Alamo Bowl this month.

Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders said the game against BYU in San Antonio will be steeped with emotion as the final time he’ll coach his sons — quarterback Shedeur Sanders and safety Shilo Sanders.

“This is gonna be our last game,” Sanders said of coaching his boys one final game. “And you talk about monumental. You talking about something that we started from the youth league. And guess what? It started right here in Texas.”

The Buffaloes were pointed toward the Big 12 Championship in November until a surprising upset against Kansas.

A win over BYU on Dec. 28 would give Colorado a 10-win season for the first time since 2016. The Buffaloes won four games in 2023.

Colorado junior cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter is expected to be handed the Heisman Trophy on Saturday in New York. Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are projected to be early first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Both transferred to Colorado from Jackson State to follow Deion Sanders.

Deion Sanders said both players — and the rest of their teammates — are not opting out to protect themselves physically ahead of the move to the professional ranks.

“Every last one of them are gonna play,” Deion Sanders said. “We don’t tap out. We don’t sit out. This is a blessing to play this wonderful game.

“Our kids are going to play in our bowl game because that’s what we signed up to do. We’re going to finish. We’re not going to tap out because that throws off the structure of next season.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 20, 2023; Carrollton, GA, USA; Carrollton Trojans quarterback Julian Lewis (10) drops back to pass against the Westlake Lions during the first half at Grisham Stadium. The 15-year-old Carrollton High student has already committed to playing for the University of Southern California Trojans and has been considered one of the top high school quarterback prospects. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Blue-chip QB Julian Lewis commits to Colorado

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has filled his pending vacant roster spot at quarterback with Julian Lewis, a top-10 prospect in the Class of 2025.

Lewis is ranked No. 6 at the quarterback position by the 247Sports composite. Over the weekend, he decommitted from Southern California, to which he gave his verbal pledge in August 2023, and on Thursday announced his new destination on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Lewis, from Carrollton (Ga.) High School, also considered offers from schools including Georgia, Indiana and Auburn before committing to the Buffaloes.

The 6-foot-1 quarterback earlier reclassified from the 2026 class. Last week, he went over 10,000 career passing yards in high school.

Colorado’s current starting quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, is expected to be the first quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. And Lewis said he welcomes the chance to compete to replace the coach’s son.

“Coach Prime always says that the best players are gonna play and I wanna come in and compete,” Lewis told McAfee. “I wouldn’t have much fun sitting on the bench and I wanted to come somewhere that I have a chance to play.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 16, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders looks on before the game against the Utah Utes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Deion Sanders dismisses talk of leaving Colorado

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Given his success this season as Colorado’s head coach, it’s no surprise that Deion Sanders’ name has been mentioned for other coaching vacancies, including in the NFL, but Sanders said Tuesday he has no intention of leaving the Buffaloes.

“I’m happy where I am, man,” Sanders told reporters Tuesday. “I’ve got a kickstand down. You know what a kickstand is? … That means I’m resting. I’m good, I’m happy, I’m excited. I’m enthusiastic about where I am. I love it here, truly do.”

The No. 16 Buffaloes are 8-2, already doubling their win total from last season’s 4-8 finish, which was Sanders’ first at the helm.

He signed a five-year $29.5 million contract with Colorado after the 2022 season, which saw the Buffaloes fire Karl Dorrell midseason and notch just one win.

Now, at 6-1 in the conference, they’re two wins away from competing in the Big 12 title game and are pushing for an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

This success has prompted speculation that Sanders could fill one of several coaching vacancies, including at the NFL level, with former Dallas Cowboys teammate Michael Irvin among those suggesting Sanders could wind up in Dallas if the team parts ways with current coach Mike McCarthy.

Sanders, however, spoke highly of his younger players and the expectation that Colorado’s success will continue, despite the likelihood that key players like Heisman Trophy candidates Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, will depart for the NFL after this season.

“It says a lot about what we plan on being and the stability that we’re going to be here for a while,” he said. “We ain’t going nowhere. We’re about to get comfortable.”

Tied with BYU for first place in the Big 12, Colorado visits 4-6 Kansas on Saturday and finishes out the season hosting 3-7 Oklahoma State.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sidelines in the first quarter at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

Colorado coach Deion Sanders decries late kickoff time

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Colorado football coach Deion Sanders continued his war of words against late kickoff times, calling them “stupid” on Thursday.

The Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) will face No. 18 Kansas State (4-1, 1-1) on Saturday in Boulder, Colo., in a game that will start at 8:15 p.m. local time.

Speaking on the “Colorado Football Coaches Show,” Sanders said of the kickoff time, “Who does that to us, man, like who does that? How stupid is that? It’s not smart for a television executive to say we’re going to put this game on at this time. I mean, you’re thinking about eyeballs, you’re thinking about selling merchandise in the commercials, you’re thinking about all of that.

“Why would you do it at that time when half of America is asleep? None of the people I know would do something stupid like that.”

Sanders added that he will take a pregame nap.

Each of Colorado’s two prior home games this season started at 6 p.m. local time. The Buffaloes also had 6:30 p.m. local time starts at Nebraska and Colorado State and a 4:20 p.m. kickoff at UCF.

A year ago this week, Sanders said of an 8 p.m. local time kickoff against Stanford, “Who wants to stay up till 8 o’clock for a dern game?” He added that the late start was the “dumbest thing ever” and “the stupidest thing ever invented in life.”

Television networks clearly like having the Buffaloes in prime time, as their games have all drawn at least 3.2 million viewers nationally. The presence of charismatic coach Sanders and the team’s two star players, quarterback Shedeur Sanders (Deion’s son) and spectacular two-way performer Travis Hunter, drive fans to telecasts of Colorado games.

The Buffaloes are on a three-game winning streak entering their first matchup with a ranked opponent this season.

–Field Level Media

Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Colorado S Shilo Sanders (forearm) to return vs. K-State

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Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, son of head coach Deion Sanders, is set to return this week when the Buffaloes face No. 18 Kansas State.

Shilo Sanders missed the past three games due to a forearm injury that necessitated surgery.

“Shilo’s ready. He’s practicing. He’s full go,” Deion Sanders told reporters. “Has a rubber cast on. He’s doing his thing. I can’t wait to see him back there.”

Shilo Sanders was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2023 after leading Colorado in tackles (70), taking an interception 80 yards for a touchdown and forcing a Big 12-best four fumbles.

This year, the senior safety had recorded 11 tackles through two games before his injury occurred Sept. 7 in a 28-10 loss to Nebraska.

The Buffs have since defeated Colorado State, Baylor and UCF to move to 4-1 on the year.

–Field Level Media

Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado prohibiting reporter from asking Deion Sanders questions

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The University of Colorado has prohibited Sean Keeler, a Denver Post columnist, from asking questions to head coach Deion Sanders and other members of the football program.

The school confirmed the news Friday in a statement provided to ESPN: “After a series of sustained, personal attacks on the football program and specifically Coach Prime, the CU Athletic Department in conjunction with the football program, have decided not to take questions from Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler at football-related events. Keeler is still permitted to attend football-related activities as a credentialed member of the media and other reporters from the Denver Post are welcome to ask questions of football program personnel made available to the media, including coaches, players and staff.”

The Post reported that a sports information staffer in the Colorado athletic department cited his use of phrases such as “false prophet,” “Deposition Deion,” “Planet Prime,” “Bruce Lee of B.S.,” “the Deion Kool-Aid” and “circus.”

The statement did not specify how long Keeler would be prohibited from asking questions, but a school spokesman clarified that the action was indefinite.

In a news conference earlier in August, Sanders accused Keeler of “always being on the attack” and asked, “What happened to get you like this?” In the discussion, Keeler asked multiple times if he could ask a football question and Sanders declined before moving on.

The Post reported that Sanders has a stipulation in his contract that requires him to speak only with “mutually agreed upon media.”

A Colorado sports information staffer told the Post that “Keeler had not violated any specific media policies” when the paper asked for clarification.

Sanders is set to begin his second season as Colorado’s head coach Thursday night against North Dakota State. The Buffaloes finished last in the Pac-12 after going 4-8 last season.

–Field Level Media