Colorado coach Deion Sanders took Boulder by storm, bringing his unique star power and sharp eye for branding to elevate the Buffaloes into the national spotlight.
The Buffs started out hot but have lost six of the last seven games. However, the spotlight shines through even through the losses because of how Sanders has built up the program in the past year.
But how do you keep a revamped football team grounded through such a media blitz and feverish interest from the outside? Sanders of all people appreciates managing the spotlight when it’s shining at its brightest.
“This is not a surprise to us, nor a surprise to them,” Sanders recently told For The Win about the attention Colorado has been getting. “We prepared them about this when we first started. There was cameras everywhere; we were doing a dern documentary with [Amazon Prime Video].
“They’re accustomed to the attention. They’re accustomed to the focus because we prepared them how to articulate themselves, how to address the media, how to groom yourself, 100 percent.”
While Sanders is leading the way, he’s certainly not the only one bringing attention to Boulder.
The coach’s son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, has impressed and could go in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft if he declares. Two-way phenom Travis Hunter excels on both offense and defense and could play either wide receiver or cornerback professionally when his college days are over.
After taking down last season’s national title runner-up in TCU to start the season, Sanders’ Buffaloes exploded onto the scene with two more electrifying wins and plenty of attention from fans, media and notable sideline guests alike.
No matter the opponent, the Buffaloes have become appointment television for those who love the sport. However, they’ve cooled down from that raging-hot start and are now on a four-game losing streak.
A tough loss at Oregon on Sept. 23 turned into close defeats to teams like USC, Stanford, Oregon State and Arizona. The tough conference schedule presented Colorado with an abundance of challenges, but plenty of eyes have remained on the program even through the losses.
Sanders compared keeping his team focused through all the attention to the balancing needed to master a tightrope walk at a circus.
“You try to warn them with the morning meetings and the morning sessions we have about life and how you balance life because life is truly a dern tightrope walker at the Barnum & Bailey Circus,” Sanders explained. “You’ve got to have something that’s stable and straight to really balance yourself, and that’s what we’re trying to do with these young men.
“Truly, I’m proud of them. I get upset … sometimes when we don’t reach our full potential, but overall, once I glance back on everything … [and] I’ve settled down a bit and watch the game film, I say, ‘You know what? We did improve in that area.'”
At 4-6 now, Colorado has just two more games in the regular season and needs to win both to become bowl eligible. The Buffs will face Washington State on the road Friday night before traveling to Utah the following week.
While they might not contend for a bowl game this year with two stout upcoming opponents, Sanders talked about the pride he has the team and program he rearranged so drastically in the past year.
“There’s no quit in them,” Sanders about what’s impressed his team even when things don’t go right. “They don’t give up. They don’t shut it down. They don’t hit the off switch. They strive continuously to try to come out of there with a win, but to try and improve personally, wholeheartedly, as a team, as a unit, but individually.”
“Not just the young men,” he added, “but the coaches as well.”
The Colorado coach also talked about what it’s been like to teach adversity to a team of college kids with the entire sports world watching their successes and failures.
“[It’s about] identifying a prize, and keeping your eyes on the prize,” Sanders said. “And the thing about us, as well as life, you’ve got to stay consistent and stay focused, and that’s one thing that we’re trying to do. And I’m exceptionally excited about where we are.”
To Sanders, it takes perspective to look at this Colorado season in full. Sure, the recent results haven’t been as inspired as the start, but the coach said he thinks it takes looking to the past to see what could come for the future.
“It’s easy to say, ‘OK, you won this many, you lost this many,'” Sanders explained. “But if you match up statistically from where you were last year to where you are now, [you’d be] like, ‘Dang, so you guys really had come a long way.’
“You’ve got to look at it in that type of way to understand this type of language, and what we’re trying to accomplish, and what we’re going to accomplish.”
