The biggest story of the 2023 college football season so far has been Deion Sanders’ fast start at Colorado. Entering his first game as a heavy underdog against TCU, the Buffaloes put on a show and upset the Horned Frogs in a 45-42 thriller. They then followed that up by beating down ancient rival Nebraska 36-14 in their home opener on Saturday.
Coach Prime has shown immediate proof of concept at CU and has generated tons of excitement around the program not seen since the Bill McCartney days. Stars like Travis Hunter and his son Shedeur Sanders have put themselves into the Heisman Trophy conversation while the nation is starting to learn the names of skill position weapons like Dylan Edwards, Jimmy Horn Jr., and Xavier Weaver. Pretty impressive stuff for just two weeks of a coaching tenure right? So let’s blow it all up.
The college football coaching carousel is unrelenting and with the stress of recruiting and the transfer portal, we’re seeing programs pull the plug on struggling head coaches as early as September. There’s a good chance that at this very moment, the power brokers of a struggling program are looking at Sanders’ quick success at Colorado and want to duplicate what’s happening in Boulder, CO. There’s also a chance that Coach Prime is being discussed as a potential replacement when their longtime head coach steps down.
For this exercise, I’ll throw out some programs that could pick up the phone for Sanders if he is a one-and-done at CU. One would assume that he isn’t leaving his current situation unless it’s for a well funded, blue blood program sitting near the top of the food chain in the sport.
Florida Gators
Year Two of the Billy Napier era at Florida is underway and the former Louisiana head coach has emphasized patience as he slowly builds the program from the ground up. He went 6-7 in his first season in Gainesville and had to navigate blunders like the Jaden Rashada NIL fiasco. The Gators got thumped in their season opener against Utah, once again illustrating that this is going to be a long build back to national relevance.
But what if they decided to hit the big red button and blow it all up for Deion?
This is an SEC school after all and deep within the fan psyches of every elite program in that league is the desire to buck restraint by firing the head coach, buyout money be damned. By going all in on the Sanders experiment, the Gators would be bringing the North Fort Myers native back to his home state, where he would have very little difficulty pulling elite recruiting classes.
Oklahoma Sooners
Brent Venables’ first season at OU last year was less than stellar. The defense was atrocious and team finished the year with a 6-7 record, the program’s first losing season since 1998. Questions persist about this year’s Sooners even after demolishing Arkansas State 73-0 in their opener and they can’t afford another mediocre season before jumping to the SEC.
If that happens, Venables will be a prime hot seat candidate this November. And if they do make the change, why not make a call to Boulder?
Oklahoma is one of the true blue bloods of the sport and the job sells itself with what you can accomplish there. Since the turn of the century, the Sooners have produced multiple Heisman Trophy winners, multiple No. 1 picks in the NFL Draft, and is more often than not in the national title hunt. However, it hurt the program’s pride when USC poached Lincoln Riley a few years back and if they do make another coaching stage, they’ll probably want to make a seismic move of their own. Bringing in Coach Prime just as they’re about to make the jump to the SEC would send a huge statement.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Nick Saban has not given any indication of when he will finally hang it up and that speculation increases with each passing year he roams the sidelines in Tuscaloosa. The question of who will replace the “GOAT” will be an interesting one when that bridge gets crossed, as whoever takes the job will have an almost impossible job on their hands.
What if Coach Prime is just the guy to take on that challenge?
Sanders has exuded confidence and belief in his own abilities since he introduced himself to the nation as a dominant two-sport player in college. Where others would crack under the pressure of replacing Saban in the most high-pressure job in the country, he would embrace it and Alabama fans would embrace him…as long as the wins pile up.
Dallas Cowboys
Surprise! This isn’t just a college football exercise! Sanders has quickly risen up the coaching ladder while circumventing the traditional path one has to take to get to his current position. With most people remembering him for his Hall of Fame career in the NFL, wouldn’t the natural endpoint for him be… a job in the NFL?
The team that immediately comes to mind? The Dallas Cowboys.
Sanders’ most successful stretch of his career happened as a member of the Cowboys, where he won a Super Bowl and earned four All-Pro selections during his five-year stint with the franchise. He of course stayed in the the DFW area following his playing days and even owned the largest home in the state of Texas at one point.
As for the Cowboys, they have suffered two straight disappointing playoff exits under Mike McCarthy the past two seasons. Owner Jerry Jones is extremely loyal to his head coaches, but a third straight playoff embarrassment would put McCarthy on the hot seat. If he does make a change, Jones could easily bring one of the best players in franchise history home.