Colorado coaching staff can ‘strike while iron is hot’ with potential Tennessee flip

The Colorado football coaching staff can "strike while the iron is hot" with a potential Tennessee flip at the CU-Colorado State game Mandatory Credit: The Knoxville News-Sentinel
The Colorado football coaching staff can "strike while the iron is hot" with a potential Tennessee flip at the CU-Colorado State game Mandatory Credit: The Knoxville News-Sentinel

The Colorado football coaching staff can “strike while the iron is hot” with the recruitment of the a potential flip from Tennessee, 4-star ATH Volunteers commit Boo Carter of Bradley Central in Cleveland, TN, according to On3’s Hunter Shelton — who relayed that Carter will be visiting Boulder during the Rocky Mountain Showdown against Colorado State on September 16.

“With momentum in-hand, Sanders and his staff could strike while the iron is hot on the recruiting trail,” Shelton prefaced before saying, “They’ll have another chance to do that on Saturday when hosting Colorado State. Chattanooga (Tenn.) Bradley Central four-star athlete and Tennessee commit Boo Carter will be in Boulder on a visit, according to an Instagram post from Carter’s mother. The trip, which will be unofficial, was confirmed by Volquest’s Matt Ray.”

As On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman shared, the Buffaloes are now in the mix for these types of recruits given their two wins against TCU and Nebraska to open up the 2023 season.

“We already know he and his staff can recruit at a very high level, we are now talking about Colorado recruiting at a major national level, because the proof is now in the pudding on the field,” Spiegelman prefaced before saying, “If you’re a quarterback or a skill position player, you’ve got to be looking at Colorado in a completely different light as the season continues.”

Colorado football reputation hinges entirely on Deion Sanders

4-star Colorado football secondary target Kam Mikell was highly complimentary of his Boulder visit during the Nebraska game, but reading between the lines, there are serious concerns about the long-term viability of the Buffs that the ATH’s statement shed some light on.

“Man I loved it,” Mikell told On3 about Boulder before saying, “The fans were telling me that last year it was barely any people at the game and now the stadium was packed out. They were very happy about Colorado’s new winning era. It made me happy to see that. They have really changed the program around.”

It’s clear that the health of CU hinges on Coach Prime sticking around. We knew this. But as Shedeur Sanders continues to spectacularly defy expectations, it’s natural to wonder if the prospect of coaching his kid at the next level can persuade Deion to attempt an NFL leap. Because if he does, he’s merely leaving a program behind that was at the ground floor when he got here and runs the risk of being there again considering the waning fan support for the Buffs in the last several decades.

It may be a short stay as Colorado football head coach for Sanders, with the NFL, a post-Nick Saban Alabama, Florida, and a host of other interested parties all potentially trying to lure “Prime Time” from Northern Colorado.