Deion Sanders, the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, delivered a direct message to the mother of one of his players: “Without him, the program would fail.”
The biggest surprise of the 2023 NCAA football season thus far has been Sanders and the Buffaloes. Sanders’ Buffaloes enter their match against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday with a perfect 3-0 record despite having taken over a squad that only won one game all of last season.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer mentioned in an interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report (h/t Kaiden Smith of On3.com) that a Buffaloes player’s mother inquired about if the program would be “sustainable” without him.
Sanders gave a straightforward response that went to the point:
“I’m honest. I just had a parent ask me the other day, she said, ‘Do you think that if you left that what you’ve created is still sustainable?’. I said no Mama, it ain’t. I’m not gon lie to you, I will cry to you before I lie to you, but it’s not.”
Sanders undoubtedly has a valid point. Colorado not only had only one victory last season, but they haven’t had a winning campaign since 2006. Under head coach Mike MacIntyre, the team concluded 2016 with a 10-4 record.
Just take a look at Prime Time’s accomplishments at Jackson State from 2020 to 2022, where he amassed a 27-6 record. Prior to accepting the Buffaloes’ offer, Sanders led the Tigers to back-to-back SWAC titles in 2021 and 2022.
When Sanders’ Buffaloes triumphed over the TCU Horned Frogs in Week 1, they unexpectedly got off to a 1-0 start. The Nebraska Cornhuskers and Colorado State Rams were defeated at home in the victories that followed.
Now, on Saturday against the Ducks, who are the clear favorites, we’ll see if they can go 4-0.
