Athletic director Rick George watched Colorado's football games this season from a comfortable seat above the field, but as the Buffs racked up more losses, his seat grew increasingly uncomfortable.
Five games in, the Buffs reached a new low in allowing 673 yards in a 43-20 loss to Arizona on Oct. 1. George had seen enough, calling it quits on former head coach Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator Chris Wilson.
But that only shifted the focus to skepticism on who George would hire next after two unsuccessful attempts -- for different reasons -- with Mel Tucker and Karl Dorrell. Colorado needed a lifeline after this 1-11 season, and the consensus seems to be that George delivered on his third try by landing Deion Sanders.
“It had to be a redo from top to bottom and that's why I'm gonna give Coach Prime latitude to do what he needs to do," George said, referring to Sanders in the way he prefers. "We've talked about resources and what he needs. We need to go out and recruit the very best student-athletes. He's gonna shoot for the sky, just like we did this hire. We shot for the highest point that we could and I think we got what we shot for.”
Colorado football’s social media followings increased by tens of thousands since the head coach announcement on Saturday night. Media personalities such as former Buff Joel Klatt and former USC star Keyshawn Johnson took to their platforms to express support for the hire.
The “Prime” effect is indeed in full force.
Colorado needed a boost in funding for the Buffs4Life NIL collective that was launched about six weeks ago. Former interim head coach Mike Sanford emphasized the importance of funding this new collective during a few of his press conferences, but the attention and support that Sanders carries will further that cause in order to be able to propose competitive NIL compensation to the nation's top talent.
“The one thing that we lacked was a collective,” George said. “We got on a collective about six weeks ago and it's evolving and it's gonna get better, but I think now with him, people are gonna really support that collective and that's the last piece for us to compete.”
With Sanders at head coach, Colorado football is already back in the national spotlight. The Buffs hit rock bottom this season, but George has emerged from the scrutiny he faced to near unanimous support from the fan base while creating an excitement for the program that CU hasn’t had in decades.
“We will get the support we need if we do the things that we should do to be successful, George said. “I think our fans are seeing the commitment that we're making from top to bottom. The way our president, our chancellor, our board of regents are aligned now to get this program in the right place, and I think there's excitement about that. We haven't had a lot of success and excitement around this program the last few years and the energy that we needed is exactly what Coach Prime delivered. I can't wait to get started and it starts today.”
