Reporter defends Pac-12 Media Day without Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders will be absent at Pac-12 Media Day on July 21, but the Athletic’s Chris Vannini doesn’t agree with Deadspin’s DJ Dunson that the Colorado football head coach’s absence takes away the noteworthiness of the event altogether — instead claiming that the conference is actually the most exciting in the country in 2023.

“Buddy if you think Deion is the only interesting thing in the Pac-12 then football just isn’t for you,” Vannini prefaced before saying, “The Pac-12 is going to be the most exciting conference this year, possibly by a lot.” Vannini was responding to Dunson’s take that without “Prime Time” present, there are only negative headlines for the Pac-12 ahead of its final season with USC and UCLA buoying the conference.

“Without Sanders in attendance, what is the point of a Pac-12 Media Day? They need to get their affairs in order first,” Dunson wrote. “The list of topics Pac-12 coaches can discuss that will generate positive headlines for Pac-12 football in 2023 are slim. Chip Kelly’s turnaround of UCLA only draws more attention to the fact that one of the conference’s flagship schools is bouncing for more financially prosperous lands. Oregon staring at the exits complicates their media rights negotiations even further.”

Colorado football will still steal the show at Pac-12 Media Day

While Sanders won’t be representing Colorado football at Pac-12 Media Day, the likes of defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, QB Shedeur Sanders, and DB Travis Hunter will be; giving the Buffaloes three notable college football figureheads from Alabama and Jackson State from a season ago.

Those three, particularly Shedeur, will be answering questions about Coach Prime and updating the country on where his recovery from a second surgery in a month to remove blood clots in one of his legs. We’ll still hear about the process behind the scenes at CU, even if we won’t get the same level of clickable content Coach Prime would’ve given us. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even get a FaceTime appearance from the most spectacular coaching hire Colorado, the Pac-12, and perhaps the whole nation has seen in several years. Modern technology affords us that chance.

Either way, expect there to be plenty of value in Pac-12 Media Day despite Sanders’ absence.