Rick George’s future looks bright due to Deion Sanders’ CU football ‘rejuvenation’
CU’s athletic director, Rick George, has a bright future in Boulder due to the “rejuvenation” of the Colorado football program at the hands of “Prime Time” Deion Sanders — plus the increased recruiting presence of the men’s and women’s basketball teams — according to Buffaloes’ Wire’s Matt Wadleigh.
“With Deion Sanders rejuvenating the football program, CU’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are also starting to gain some attention, and the future looks bright for athletic director Rick George in Boulder,” Wadleigh wrote.
Not only has Coach Prime elevated the Buffaloes with the No. 1 2023 transfer class per 247Sports, but the basketball team has a No. 24 recruiting ranking for the 2023-24 season; largely due to No. 4 overall recruit Cody Williams.
Colorado football HC Deion Sanders compared to college football’s coaching G.O.A.T.
A man who has worked with both Sanders and college football coaching G.O.A.T. Nick Saban, Colorado football defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, who worked under Saban from 2019-2022 as safeties coach/associate defensive coordinator, believes the two men have plenty of similarities. Kelly addressed the comparison between the former Aflac commercial co-stars at Pac-12 Media Day on July 21.
“They have a way of setting the standard,” Kelly said (h/t CBS Sports). “They are not going to deviate off that standard. The standard is the standard. So they are not going to come off it. Everybody that works for them are going to be the same way. So when the standard is the standard, you’re a leader, and you bring people to that standard, it’s how you elevate your program. Those are the similarities I see between (Saban) and coach Prime.”
In a best-case scenario, Sanders could be in Boulder what Saban has become in Tuscaloosa. Colorado has the resources to be a powerhouse in the western half of the United States, so if Sanders’ formula is successful, there’s no reason the Buffaloes can’t fend off every future opportunity that comes his way. Of course, FSU will always hold a place in Coach Prime’s heart, but why can’t CU with enough wins and one son under center and another in the secondary?